


Mandatory Monster Measures

by putputpotato



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural (TV) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Crime Fighting, First Dates, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Mystery, Secrets, Strangers to Lovers, but some things make no sense, neo mall, taeyong is actually quite badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27300721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/putputpotato/pseuds/putputpotato
Summary: For years, Kim Doyoung has taken it upon himself to spend the night in Neo-Mall and rid it of the awful Monsters that seem almost drawn to the place.One night, against all his expectations, he meets Taeyong, who will change his life forever.However, Doyoung has no idea inhow many wayshe is bound to change it.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 42
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!!  
> Here is part one of the little treats I prepared for a good old Halloween at home :'D This fic will probably be split into 3-4 chapters, so be warned!  
> For more find me in the end notes <3

Doyoung restlessly taps his fingers on the surface of the cinema counter. He has cleaned over it at least ten times that night, so there are not even traces of grease or smears of ketchup left. Everything is so spot clean, he could lick over it and not get a nasty sickness. However, despite this and despite the short finger of the clock nearing two in the morning, he is not allowed to leave. If they could have found any other person for the job, Doyoung would have willingly given the position to that person in less than a heartbeat. Not even the knowledge that there is no one with the same skill level as him is in any way comforting. Because, after all, he still has to sit here the whole night and deal with–

Clank! With wide eyes, he turns around, his hand tight around the knife he has stored beneath the counter. Sure as hell, there is a noise inside the H&M on the opposite side of the cinema. As he scrunches his eyes, a rack of leather jackets swings left and right. If he didn't know better he would blame it on a draught or something equally ridiculous. However, he does know better, if he likes it or not.

"Alright then, if you wanna play that game." he mumbles.

Silverknife still clutched tight in his hand and the shotgun, filled with salt-rounds, slung around his shoulder, Doyoung easily jumps across the counter. Like a shadow, he crouches near the entrance of the cinema and glares against the dim light of the night-lamps around the Neo-mall. Crawling behind a pot of a gigantic hibiscus plant, Doyoung crouches to aim his shotgun at the H&M. The door, which had previously been locked, is opened just a barely noticable gap. Not a ghost then, it wouldn't have bothered with the door.

Straightening, he hushes towards the entrance door of the clothing shop, slipping through completely silent. It's darker inside than outside in the main mall-area. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out a flashlight and a second later, it flickers to life inside the narrow alley of the spring collection.

"Doyoung?" His ears perk up with wide eyes.

Could it be? Has Johnny forgotten something at the mall and came back for it? He knows his boss to be forgetful at the worst times, but something about it seems off. If Johnny had forgotten something, why would he head straight into H&M? It was definitely his voice, which had spoken Doyoung's name though, there was no doubt.

It only takes him a second to understand and when he does, he smirks in satisfaction. "Nice trick." He whispers, more to himself than his enemy.

How and why a Crocotta decided to enter the Neo-mall on a Friday night, Doyoung has no idea. It's not like he particularly cares, either. His job is to get rid of it and make sure it's gone, once the first costumers come back with daylight. So, he straightens up a little more and lifts to his tippy toes, just tall enough to peak above the racks of clothing. Nothing moves, but he knows the flashlight will have given him away. He knowingly gave the Crocotta the possibility to attack him first. After all, he will be prepared and that way, it saves him the process of looking for it. That is, if the creature actually has the balls to attack him.

Faintly, he remembers that one time, when he had chased a Goblin throughout the entire expand of Neo-mall, only catching up to it fifteen minutes before opening. The little shit had made him run around the ginourmous place throughout the whole night and he had just managed to take it out in time. Internally, all he can hope for is that this won't be a repetition of said happening.

"Come on out." Doyoung mumbles, turning in circles, "I'm sweet and yummy, don't you want to take a bite of this?"

He must sound ridiculous, if anyone were watching him, but Doyoung knows there is no chance this would be the case, so he doesn't care much. Talking keeps him calm. If he stays calm, he doesn't die. Simple maths.

Deciding to move on, he walks deeper into the H&M, trailing his flashlight along the rows of shirts and the posters of models, wearing the ridiculous flower patterns of the spring collection. Ridiculous, really. If any of his friends knew what he is doing right now – what he is doing every night... it would be a lie to say, he didn't fantasize about telling them. However, they would probably declare him insane and the next thing he knows he lands in a padded cell, so no thanks for now. Someday, maybe. For now, it's enough that Johnny knows and Doyoung knows.

He huffs, "I'm tired of the hide and seek, come on."

"Doyoung, behind you!"

It's the oldest trick in history and Doyoung thinks, if it hadn't been Johnny's voice uttering the words, he would have never fallen for it. But, stupid, stupid, stupid as he is, he turns around anyways and a heartbeat later, something hard and heavy collides with his back. With a yelp, he falls down face-first onto the ground. The knife falls from his grip, but he scrambles to get away anyways. The Crocotta has its nails dug into his back and he can feel the sharp pain of skin breaking searing through him. A silent cry escapes him, but he manages to get a grip of his flashlight. With one swift motion and one hell of a momentum, Doyoung smashes the butt of his flashlight against the Crocotta's head, earning a pained cry.

The very second the weight is off of him, he scrambles forward and reaches for the knife. It slips between his fingers and he curses, when his leg is pulled and he slides backwards across the floor. Kicking is futile, the Crocotta's grip too strong to escape. Wide eyes scan the area around him and in his haste, he grabs a stiletto, on the shelf next to his head. It's a hideous model, with a leopard print and a pink bow at the back, but the heel is thin and sturdy. Good enough.

He heaves himself on his back, even as he is still pulled along. It almost breaks his leg, but the Crocotta is right above him, so he doesn't think about the pain twice. His arm wraps around the creature's neck, without even looking at it and he jerks it down to his level. The heel of the shoe goes into the Crocotta's neck like knife into butter. A soft hiss leaves the creatures mouth, hitting Doyoung's face in an uncomfortable wave of warm air. It collapses then, all the weight falling on top of Doyoung's chest without mercy.

Groaning he shoves the limp body off of him and lets his head fall back onto the ground. He rolls his head over, to look at the dead face of the Crocotta. Its tongue is hanging from its mouth and the eyes are rolled back in a weird grimace. "What a shit piece of a job, don't you think?", Doyoung murmurs.

At this point, Doyoung considers it a miracle that he hasn't gone insane yet. Spending his nights in a creepy, empty shopping mall and fighting off all kinds of nasty supernatural creatures for more than four years now, can easily get to one. Of course, Doyoung goes to therapy. But he always has to be careful how much he lets slip around his therapist Taeil, because otherwise he might have to worry about landing in the loony bin after all. Not a very pleasant idea and Johnny won't be very amused when he suddenly has to look for another hunter.

With a huff, he pushes himself back up to his feet and drags the body to a disposal spot. There are tiny slots everywhere around the mall, built in to get rid of the bodies Doyoung can't count on his two hands anymore. To the outside world they only look like simple vents, but the ones that are hidden behind plants are anything but. All he has to do is pull out the second floor that is built on the inside and push the body in. The rest will be handled by the cleaner – some guy named Mark, who comes here every morning to swipe the floors and spray every surface with febreeze. For such a dark job, he smiles an awful lot. Especially around that boy who works at the candy store, Donghyuck.

Patting his hands on his knees, Doyoung straightens up. Every part of his spine cracks and he winces, "I don't get paid enough for this." he decides and shoulders his shotgun, before retreating to the cinema.

Except, when he gets there something is already expecting him. Thanks to his trained ear, he has no hard time hearing the shuffling behind the cinema counter. Something is hiding in HIS booth? Nu-uh. Absolute no-go. Now, it's personal. He hushes over, crouched as low against the ground as he can manage and presses his back against the wall of the counter. Counting his breath, he goes one – two – three. On the last exhale, he straightens, faster than a lightning, and trains the mouth of his gun towards where he knows his enemy would be.

His eyes widen at the scared squeak he receives. What the fuck? The first thing Doyoung does is look into the reflection of the clear, black cinema-booth. Those breathtaking features can only be the work of a siren, right? I mean, who has eyes so big and a jaw so sharp, it's ridiculous. The siren could have figured out Doyoung's type just by looking at him, so having the most gorgeous man on the planet sitting behind his counter is slightly hard to believe. But, the reflection stays the same. No pale, naked skin and terrifying resemblance of a face. A demon, then? He shakes his holy water bottle at the boy's face, drenching him but never hearing a sizzle. No demon. One last thing – ripping the silver cross around his neck off, Doyoung takes a hold of the man's wrist and presses the metal against his skin. No shapeshifter or werewolf either.

Frowning, he lowers his shotgun and sees the guy slump in relief, "What the hell?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"You're a human." Doyoung remarks, "Like – a proper flesh and bone human."

A cute pout forms on the man's lips, "Last time I checked, yeah. What in god's name were you expecting? A llama?"

Doyoung chuckles to himself, sitting down in front of the man, mirroring his position. He once read somewhere that you can calm people down, by mirroring their behaviour. Sense of familiarity and such. The man eyes him warily.

"How did you even get in here?" Doyoung asks.

"Uh..." wow, even when he frowns, the man still looks breathtaking, "The front entrance?"

No, Johnny would never forget to lock up, "That's impossible. The door won't open until sunrise."

"No, I mean I got in here when the mall was still open." the man hurries to explain, "Like- around four, I think."

Now, it's Doyoung's turn to frown, "And you're still in here, because...?"

"I w-was hiding in the bathroom. From..." The man's cheeks tint pink and he sighs, "From my stalker."

"Stalker? You have one of those?" Doyoung gasps.

"It's a long story. But, you don't have to bother with me, just unlock the emergency exit and I'll be out of here." He suggests, looking positively ready to go home.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. The gates are locked and they will stay that way, until morning."

The man looks positively devastated, "What? Are you kidding, you must have a key or something."

"There is no key and there is no lock." Doyoung sighs. This is the moment where he will be declared insane, "It's a spell. Only the first sunlight of the day can open the mall's doors. It's to usually keep things inside."

"Don't you mean outside?"

"No..." A dark chuckle leaves Doyoung's lips, "I mean inside. So, that I can take care of them, before they become a problem."

"They?" The man's eyes stray to Doyoung's shotgun in realization, "Okay, man, hah... you do you, but I'm not... a problem, right?"

Doyoung shakes his head, "No, I don't hurt mortals, ever. I only get rid of nasty things like Poltergeists, Rugarus or Vampires. They like to stick around Neo-mall for whatever reason."

The man looks at him with wide eyes. He's a little pale now and his mouth has fallen open in a grimace of disturbance, confusion and slight alarm. Doyoung should have expected the reaction, really, but what else is he supposed to do? Risk the guy running off into the shadows, where the next best monster could have him as a snack? Not, before he had the chance to ask him out, no way.

"You are crazy, right?" Oh boy, here we go, "Y-you are insane! I'm stuck with a lunatic, holding a shotgun and no chance to escape. Is this how I go? Will you kill me quickly, or do you take some fucked up pleasure in torturing people? Oh, god if my mom knew! She always told me Jaehyun wasn't the one and now, because I hid from him, I got into this weird-ass situation. Like, come on! How are the odds? Who else gets into the line of dark-humouric fate like this?"

Dark-humouric fate? And Doyoung is supposed to be the loon? "Okay, listen. Listen! I'm not going to hurt you, I mean it. Here", He opens the shotgun with a click and reveals the salt-rounds inside, "These are filled only with salt. I could never kill you with these. And this?" He pulls out his enochian knife and puts it in the man's palm, "Now you have it. Can't use it against you, but I'll kindly ask you not to use it against me either."

The man seems completely enraptured by the knife in his hands. Doyoung can't really blame him. Looking at the enochian characters on the surface kind of feels like a weird dream sometimes. He can't even imagine how they must look like, to someone who has obviously no idea of the supernatural. The man turns the knife around in his hand, fear slowly giving way to confusion and obvious curiousity. It's obvious that he is still sceptical, but maybe Doyoung has a chance of getting him through the night, without Mark having to dump a human corpse down the drain. And who knows? Maybe, they could go for coffee afterwards.

"What's your name?"

He finds himself look up at the beautiful man, "Doyoung. Yours?"

"I'm Taeyong."

Doyoung sinks against the counter, allowing his aching muscles to rest for the time being. This is still such a strange situation. Never before had he had to deal with another person still being caught up in the mall. Usually, Johnny and the other staff always make sure that every last person has exited the building. However, considering Taeyong had purposefully been hiding from someone, he guesses it could have been easier to overlook him. Now, what to do? He had never been briefed about a situation like this. Hell, Johnny hadn't even considered that it could happen.

"Are you some kind of conspiracy theory fanatic?" Taeyong suddenly asks.

Doyoung laughs, "Not quite."

"Then what is it you supposedly kill with this?" The knife glints in the dim booth-lighting, as Doyoung's counterpart holds it up.

Risking a peak across the counter-top, Doyoung deems the air clear enough to rise and stand up. He fetches two sodas from the cinema-fridge and holds one out to Taeyong, "It's a long story. Lucky you, the night is still young."

\--*--

"So... you kill those–... creatures? Because, they gather around here? Since Neo-mall is..., what- haunted? And you do that with salt-bullets, silver and a hip flask?"

"Not just a hip flask", Doyoung pulls said flask out of his pocket and shows Taeyong the carefully crafted engraving of a cross on the side, "Holy water. Demons hate that shit."

"Demons. Of course." Taeyong nods, obviously not buying it.

They're seated on top of the counter, soft drinks in hands and feet dangling above the ground. Technically, Doyoung should do a patrol-round soon, but somehow talking to Taeyong got him loose all track of time. The cinema-clock already shows three twenty in the morning. Around two and a half hours left, until the first sunlight. The problem is that, if he wants to go on another patrolling-round, he will have to take Taeyong with him. Because, seriously, there is no way he will leave the guy just wait here, in this claustrophobic booth, like a turkey on a silver plate. He wasn't born yesterday, thanks very much.

"I must be dreaming." Taeyong mumbles, "I fell asleep in the mall's bathroom, now my neck is craned so bad in my sleep that I'm having the oddest dreams."

Doyoung reaches out and pinches the man's arm. He squeaks out a tiny 'ow!' "Not dreaming."

"But, like, it's ridiculous, isn't it? Demons, ghosts, vampires... If they really exist, how come I've never seen one of them before?" Taeyong asks.

"They are really really good at blending in." Doyoung says, "So good, in fact, even hunters have trouble finding them sometimes. You can only tell them apart, if you know what to look for."

A heavy sigh leaves Taeyong's lungs and he puts his empty soda-can on the counter, "And I thought my stalker was the strangest thing that ever happened to me."

Doyoung laughs softly, eyeing the man from the corner of his eye. Taeyong's pink hair is dishevelled, but a couple of soft tugs and he has it back under control. The heavy jewellery around his earlobe, wrists and neck clint, even in the dim light of the cinema counter. His strong arms peak out from the short sleeves of his fitted shirt and his black jeans are so tight, they leave little to the imagination. It might be a nasty thought, but Doyoung isn't surprised Taeyong has a stalker. Getting obsessed with the guy is probably a lot less harder than one might think.

"I need to do a patrol-round." Doyoung declares, hoisting the shotgun back on his shoulder.

Taeyong looks up from where he had stared at his empty soda, "A what?"

"Just a trip around the mall, making sure nothing got away while I made all the noise in that H&M." Without waiting for the other, Doyoung sets into motion.

He doesn't see it, but he can hear Taeyong scrambling after him, "What were you doing in that H&M? It sounded like you were throwing around all the racks and shelves."

"More like I got thrown." Doyoung chuckles, but flinches at the cuts he knows will show in his back.

"Oh shit!" Taeyong's eyes are wide, as he catches up with the hunter, "Are you okay? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

It's hard to stop smiling, when a gorgeous man like Taeyong gives him so much attention, "Even if I wanted, I couldn't. But, don't worry, I've had worse."

"Worse?!"

"Yeah one time, I broke both of my arms. That was bad. Try firing a shotgun with two broken arms." Doyoung laughs to himself, "Nah, I'll live."

"Either you really are crazy after all", Taeyong pouts in thought, "or you're the most badass guy I've ever met."

"To be honest, I like the sound of the second one better."

They wander down the stretch of the mall, passing buy multiple stores that are locked up and filled with goods. Somewhere towards the middle, a huge indoor plaza stretches out in front of them. There is a ginourmous tree right in the middle, one of the few plants in the mall that are actually real. It stretches far, far above their heads and Doyoung squints at it. It's hard to see something in the darkness, but at least the moon casts a soft glow through the glass-ceiling. Taeyong is fidgeting beside him, looking around the place with anxious eyes. Doyoung can't blame him. He remembers being far worse on his first day at the Neo-mall. Nowadays, of course, he has his heartbeat in check and the shaking in his hands has been trained away.

A fluttering sound echoes through the hall. Surely, if the place would have been filled with people at daylight, no one would have noticed the sound. Now though, with the silence thicker than smoke, it's almost like a shout. Doyoung's gaze zeroes in on a leaf of the tree. It's twitching, but there is no wind inside the mall that could have caused it to move. No doubt then...

"I'll need to get to the floor above, you can stay here."

"N-no I'm going with you." Taeyong hurries along, as Doyoung heads straight for the staircase, "what are you going to do? What's upstairs?"

Doyoung rummages through his jacket pocket, feeling for the cool metal he knows he will find, "This tree is always full of fairies. It's a nest, but we haven't managed to completely wipe them out, we'll need someone professional for that. Until then, Johnny has ordered me to reduce their numbers every night. They spawn like rabbits and if I don't keep them in check, someone will get hurt during visiting times."

"I'm sorry, I'm sure I misheard. Did you say fairies?" Taeyong laughs shakily.

Doyoung pulls out his handgun, as they reach the second floor, "Jup. And if you ask me, all the fairytales and shit gave them a better reputation than they deserve. All they do is torment people for laughs, those little fuckers."

"And how are you going to, uh..." Taeyong stutters, "reduce their numbers?"

"I'll shoot them."

Taeyong coughs, "W-with salt-bullets?"

"Nope, regular bullets."

"B-but you can't!" Taeyong gasps, "That's murder!"

Doyoung squints and tilts his head, contemplating the thought for moment, "Technically, it's more like a bear-hunt. Not something to be proud of, but necessary for everyone's safety, you know?"

He's well about to aim his gun at the first sprinkle of fairydust, when Taeyong's hand pushes it down again, "No, please. I mean, come on, what are they gonna do? They're like, what? Five centimetres tall? The worst they could do is rip someone's hair out. And I'm sure they wouldn't just do that, if you wouldn't bother them, right?"

"Okay, first of all: Fairies can lift 80 times their body weight. That's even more than ants, so trust me when I say, just because they're small doesn't mean they can't do real damage." He huffs, crossing his arms, "Second of all: I get that you have this distorted version of fairies in your mind, where all they do is fart sparkles and laugh, but those are real assholes, you hear me? Assholes."

Taeyong shakes his head, "I just can't let you do this."

"You think you can stop me from doing my job?"

Taeyong's face flushes, when Doyoung lifts a brow at him and his eyes travel to the ground, "Maybe, we could- woah! Holy-"

This is all Taeyong gets to say, when suddenly, his feet rise up from the ground. It takes Doyoung a second too long, to understand what exactly is happening, however it becomes clear when he sees the sparkle behind Taeyong's ear. Three fairies have taken a tight hold of the beautiful man and now, they're raising him several metres above the ground. Shaking with fury, Doyoung aims his gun at one of them. Even though Taeyong is technically in the dangerzone, Doyoung is a good-enough shot, to hit his aim guaranteed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The helium-voice of a fairy sounds, "It would be a pitty if we accidentally drop him. He might break his pretty neck."

Doyoung hesitates, calculating the distance beneath Taeyong's struggling frame and the ground beneath. About eight metres max. If he's lucky, he will only break an arm or a leg. If he isn't... if the fairies let him fall head-first.... He curses heavily, slamming the butt of his gun against the railing of the second floor. If only something were there to catch Taeyong, then he could easily shoot the fairies out of the sky. Not thinking about it too long, Doyoung speeds back down the staircase. He can hear Taeyong's panicked shouts and wails echo through the entire mall. Hopefully the sounds won't attract something bigger than fairies, as long as they're occupied.

Arriving back down at the foot of the tree, Doyoung makes sure to stand right beneath Taeyong's floating body. He aims easily, even in the darkness and shoots the first fairy. It squeaks and Taeyong's body jerks down a metre, the remaining fairies obviously having a hard time keeping him up at this point. Readying himself, Doyoung shoots a second fairy and all of a sudden, Taeyong's back is zooming into his vision. He has been prepared though, so he manages to catch Taeyong in his arms, before he ever hits the ground. The man is relatively light, luckily and Doyoung even manages to shoot the last fairy down, before it can disappear back into the tree.

Taeyong, with his arms wrapped tightly around Doyoung's neck, is shaking in his arms. It takes a while, before Doyoung can put his legs down on the ground and even then, Taeyong is still trembling. The man's eyes are even bigger than usually, when he looks up at Doyoung, wearing a terrified expression.

"W-wow, y-you must have quite the, uh, muscles to catch me like that, huh?" Taeyong laughs shyly and Doyoung almost chokes, when the other's hand wanders up to squeeze his biceps, "Oh yeah, damn."

Gently prying his hand off his own arm, Doyoung casts another look at the tall tree, "I doubt any more of them will come out for today. We've made quite a ruckus."

"See if I care. They can stay there. Goddamn insects." Taeyong pouts and runs a hand through his hair.

Doyoung laughs, a warm happiness blooming in his chest. When was the last time he had felt this excited at a night-shift? It gets boring and lonely around here quickly, even with the monsters hiding in the shadows. There is just something really depressing about closed stores and emergency night-lights. But tonight, everything changed for once.

Though god knows he has not even a whim of an idea _how much_ has changed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What the hell is that?" Taeyong asks, pressing himself against Doyoung, as he risks a glance, too.
> 
> Despite not believing it himself, Doyoung says: "That's a phoenix."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the loveliest crack kids! Enjoy :'D

"The indoor playground?" Taeyong's eyes rake up and down the enourmous climbing frame, the mall had installed just for all their youngest customers.

It's almost like a spiderweb; connecting all three floors through nets, tunnels and other fun obstacles. There is a trampoline in the middle, a dinosaur to climb in one corner and a bunch of swings in the other. Doyoung knows that kids are absolutely in love with this shit, because even after years of bloody noses and scraped knees, the place still buzzes all day, everyday. Unfortunately enough, it's also a perfect hiding spot. He doesn't even want to remember the one time, when a bunch of changelings had built their nest there, hiding over seven kids, before Doyoung finally realized what was going on.

Luckily no one died, there were only two minor injury and one very unfortunate event, involving a mixer. Johnny had given him a raise after that, because damn was it stressful. Doyoung thinks his boss knew he was about to resign, despite everything. He probably also knew that Doyoung could never say no to an extra five hundred per week. What to say, he is a simple man and he would like a Playstation.

"You'd be surprised how many creatures hide here." Doyoung says, already circling the place with his flashlight.

Taeyong shivers, "You mean, when a kid tells you it saw something weird..."

"It might not always have been their imagination, yes." He throws a look into one of the countless tunnels, "Unfortunately, sometimes I miss something, because I don't fit in all of the corners. It is built for kids, after all. So far nothing really bad has happened, though."

"Nothing _really_ bad?"

"Well you know, we had the occasional gremlin, who would shove the kids off platforms. Or once, we had a bogeyman hide in here and scare the children all day." Doyoung sighs, "It took me two weeks of work-nights to find that bastard, all the time he had just squeezed himself into a niche I couldn't reach. Son of a bitch."

The man next to him stumbles across the border of the playground for a moment, before regaining his posture, "I uhm... I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."

"Take your time." Doyoung smiles, "When I found out, I was a lot younger, so it didn't throw me off so much. To be honest, I practically grew up with supernatural creatures and myths."

"Sounds like a joyful childhood."

They duck beneath a spiralled slide and find themselves in the climbing area. Around them, a wide ring of thick-roped nets runs up all the way to the third floor. The floor is heavily cushioned and Doyoung bounces a little on the padding. Seems like the coast is clear for today.

"You might not believe it, but I had a wonderful childhood." He can tell from Taeyong's face that the man has a hard time believing him, "I'm serious. My parents were the best, I was never in danger. They only educated me about all of it, I was the one who chose to be a hunter and I only started when I was eighteen."

Taeyong chuckles to himself, "What, so you went to a monster-hunter-college, or something?"

Snorting, Doyoung trails the ring around them, to check the other tunnels that lead outside, "Not quite. I just received training from other hunters."

"So there are others?" Taeyong asks, "Then why are you the one doing this job?"

"Cause no one else is dumb enough to take it." Doyoung admits, finally straightening up, when he has cleared the last tunnel.

It's so quiet. How can it be this quiet? Usually, he'll at least hear the rustling of leaves from fairies or the chirping of Pamolas, when it's winter. But there is nothing. Only Taeyong's and his own breaths, even and small. If Doyoung has learned anything in his short, but impactful career, it's that silence is more often a bad omen than a good one. He takes Taeyong's hand and pulls him back out the way they came, flashlight trembling along the walls and nets. Maybe, they should go up to the third floor? Perhaps there they would see something they have missed.

"Do you smell that?" Taeyong asks suddenly.

Doyoung stops short, just about to ask him what the hell he's going on about, until it reaches his nose, too. If he had to give a description, the first thing that comes to his mind is the smell, when he accidentally dropped his polyester-rain jacket in a campfire. The smell had been strong and bitter, almost as bad as the smell of burned hair.

"Is something–", Doyoung watches Taeyong look around and stop short, when his sentence breaks off. His eyes widen and Doyoung can see a light reflect in his eyes that doesn't come from his flashlight, "Oh holy shit."

Following Taeyong's panicked gaze, Doyoung sucks in a sharp breath. Holy shit, indeed. There, at the top of the climbing frame, an orange light illuminated the ceiling and the shops of the third floor. Something is actually on fire. Cursing loudly, Doyoung pulls Taeyong along, to the next staircase, not trusting the elevator to be fast enough. They reach the third floor panting and Doyoung presses Taeyong and himself against the wall, hiding behind a corner. Slowly, he leans forward to glance around and what he finds has his heart stop. Even he had only heard about this kind of creature from tellings, books and stories. Never had he imagined, he would get a chance of seeing a real one.

"What the hell is that?" Taeyong asks, pressing himself against Doyoung, as he risks a glance, too.

Despite not believing it himself, Doyoung says: "That's a phoenix." Then, he frowns, "How could it even get in here?"

"Look." Pointing at the ceiling, Taeyong directs Doyoung's attention towards a ceiling-window, cracked open. The glass is missing, spread across the grounds of the third and second floors. The asshole broke right through the ceiling, like a canon-ball. "What do we do?" Taeyong gasps out.

"You're not doing anything, you hear me? You'll stay right here and not come out, even if I lose an arm." Doyoung commands. Before Taeyong can disagree, he adds: "I'm not risking you getting hurt. My job is to protect you and I'll fucking do that, got it?"

Taeyong still looks displeased, but he nods anyways. As soon as Doyoung steps out of the shadows, the phoenix screeches at an ear-bleeding pitch. He flinches, but still continues to move towards the creature with soft and careful steps. To be completely honest, right now, he has no idea what he is going to do. All he knows is that he has to get that phoenix back out the way it came, or the whole mall could go up in flames.

The phoenix moves in quick, twitchy motions, almost like a chicken. That doesn't make it any easier, since Doyoung has trouble deciphering, whether it feels threatened and panicked, or if it's fine. With all the ease and steady hands he can muster, he pulls his handgun from his pocket. It's a silly thought, but maybe, if he shoots the phoenix just enough to scare it, it might take off on its own. However, silly thoughts have been his life savers in the past as well, why not this time?

Lifting the gun, he aims it right at the bird's leg. The shot is loud, but the phoenix's scream is deafening. Yeah, that didn't quite work out the way Doyoung had hoped. Cursing, he falls to the ground, when the phoenix's flaming wing swings across his head. He is just fast enough to only have a single strand of his hair burned. Rolling to his side, Doyoung takes cover behind a vending machine, before another rampart of fire rolls in his direction. Well, looks like a plan B is needed here. The downside is, he never bothered to come up with one. Trying to rake his brain for whatever he might have learned about phoenixes in his entire lifetime, Doyoung rolls behind a tall plant, hiding away. The phoenix doesn't go after him and as he peeks between the plant's leaves, he finds why: One of the creature's claws is stuck in a gap between the railings that surround the platforms of the third floor.

Maybe, if he breaks the phoenix free, it will fly away on its own? That seems like very wishful thinking, but right now, Doyoung really doesn't have anything else than this. Aiming between the leaves, Doyoung steadies his gun. Deep breaths, no shaking, no rebound. The slim metal of the railing seems to shake, even though Doyoung knows that is physically very unlikely. His entire world narrows down to his aim and then, he pulls the trigger.

Once more, the phoenix howls, flaming wings flailing in the air and suddenly, he is far above Doyoung's head. The shock has his world go vertical, as he falls on his back and gets the breath knocked out of his lungs. Any attempt to scramble out of reach is futile, the phoenix is already above him. Its claws, almost as thick as cigars, dig into his shoulders and he groans in pain. Shit, he is in deep trouble. Every move he makes, to try and wiggle out of his enemies grip, drives the claws deeper into his flesh. He is pinned down completely, so he can't even reach for any of his weapons. Is this how he will die? Do phoenixes eat people? Or will he just end up as the first human steak, grilled and crusty?

"Hey chicken!"

Both Doyoung's and the phoenix's head whip around, to find Taeyong, shaking and holding a huge can in his hands. Doyoung's eyes widen when he realizes what the can is.

"Take a look at this!" Then, everything turns white.

Taeyong empties the fire extinguisher on the phoenix, like there is no tomorrow. The phoenix screetches, ripping its claws free from Doyoung's body, as it tries to escape, but the foam clings to its wings like clay. As it hurries away, it slips on the foam and falls, collapsing into a sad little puddle. A sizzling noise fills the mall, growing louder and louder, until it dims down again and the phoenix has disappeared beneath a mountain of foam. Finally, Taeyong throws the empty fire extinguisher aside and hurries to Doyoung.

Falling on his knees next to him, he takes Doyoung's face in his hands, "Oh my god, are you alright? You're not going to die, are you? Who's going to shoot the farries? Please don't die."

"I'm not dying, Taeyong." Doyoung says, groaning, when he tries to sit up. He might not be dying, but that thing really got him.

Their eyes travel to the sad puddle of foam. Suddenly, there is some movement and Doyoung has his gun out, before he even takes a breath. But, what comes out of the foam is not the searing phoenix he had expected. A sad, small squeak sounds through the halls and a tiny, naked bird waddles out. It looks a little like a chicken without any feathers at all, its skin black like coal. Trying to escape the giant, white mountain, it slips in the foam and falls face-first to the ground. Another pathetic, little croak comes out of its beak.

"Oh no." Taeyong coos and before Doyoung can stop him, he hurries over to the small creature. Slightly cautious, he lifts it into his arms, finding the phoenix shake a little confused. It never attacks him, though, "Aw, look at you. You poor thing."

"The fire extinguisher was a good call." Doyoung says, drawing Taeyong's attention back on him, "You saved my life. Thank you."

Taeyong stares at him with wide eyes, only looking away, when the tiny phoenix cries out at him, "Guess that means we're even now."

\--*--

They sit in the front lobby, right on a bench that faces the mall's main entrance. Within the rest of the night Doyoung had managed to take out one more Trickster and an Anzû, even though that one was a pain in the ass and burned off his favourite shirt's sleeve. Taeyong ist next to him, tired eyes almost falling shut and his head on Doyoung's shoulder.

"A couple more minutes, then the gates will open." Doyoung assures him.

Taeyong hums, "Oki-doki."

"Lucky for you, it was pretty quiet tonight. I'm surprised, actually. Usually, I'd have about thrice as many customers." Doyoung rambles. His face scrunches up in worry, "I hope I didn't overlook someone."

Taeyong lifts his head from Doyoung's shoulder and looks at him with a raised brow. Despite a tiring night and a few smudges of dirt on his face, he really is the most gorgeous man Doyoung has ever seen. Don't get him wrong, Doyoung is not so bad himself and as a result of that, has dated a fair amount of good-looking people. But Taeyong? He's a mix of delicate and sharp, gentle and bold, from his features, down to his personality and Doyoung admits he is enthiced. In a bizarre way, it reminds him of the fascination he used to have for all the magical creatures, before he took the job to kill them. The other-worldly element. The supernatural veins. Can someone be so beautiful, they appear like they aren't from this world?

"You're a little crazy, you know that?"

Doyoung laughs, "The good kind, I hope."

"I'm serious, do you even get paid for any of this? I mean, you risk your life every night, to save the people that come here to do their groceries and buy shoes." Taeyong runs a distressed hand through his hair, "I just can't see why you would do this to yourself. Are you a saint or something?"

"There's no one else that will do it. Without wanting to sound cocky, there is no one else who can do it." There is a leaf stuck to Taeyong's hair, so Doyoung reaches out and plucks it away, "If there was, I would gladly give them the job. I'm not a hero."

A gentle half-smile tugs on Taeyong's lips, "I think you don't give yourself enough credit."

"Hm, heroes are lame anyways." He looks away, just to escape Taeyong's overwhelming gaze for a moment, "In the movies, the villains are always the hot ones."

"But they loose in the end." Taeyong says.

Doyoung shrugs, "If I get to be handsome, I think that's win enough."

The other man giggles and the hiccupy sound is like a cool pool of water on a hot, suffocating summer-day. He has a habit of slightly falling into the person next to him, when he laughs especially hard. Doyoung hopes he gets to make Taeyong laugh more in the future. Although, he doesn't really know how to voice that yet. Does he ask for his number? Or does he just go for a date right away? Doyoung is almost tempted to bang his head against a wall. Seriously, he can hunt down monsters, kill gods and destroy mythical creatures as a part-time job, but he can't ask out a handsome man? Well, that's probably the last string that still makes him human, so he lets it go.

"Well, you're my hero and you can't do anything about it." Taeyong decides.

"Ugh, boo", With a pout, Doyoung folds his arms in front of his chest, "How boring."

With a shy tooth biting his bottom lip, Taeyong mutters: "If it comforts you, the hero always gets the... boy."

Doyoung knows this screams 'opportunity', he just has to open his goddamn mouth. Mama Kim didn't raise a coward, but she also didn't raise a ladies' man... or a gentlemens' man, in this case. His mouth opens and closes like a useless, broken trapdoor, until a sound jerks them both out of their little bubble. It's a clicking, like the cogs of a clock, but amplified and loud enough for the sound to echo in the whole lobby. Doyoung knows the sensation well enough to not even lift his gaze at the door, but Taeyong is a different case. The man's mouth falls open and his eyes, huge between his dirty strands stare at the entrance door.

It flares along the edges, as if melting the doorframe into lava and when Doyoung looks up, the first rays of sunshine come up between two houses on the opposite side of the street. The slim strip of light hits the door dead-on, causing the clicking sound. A silhouette stands outside, waiting with a tense posture and the nervous tapping of a foot. It's over quickly and when the sunlight has properly appeared above the horizon, the clicking noises come to an end. The glow that framed the door dims and vanishes and suddenly, the door swings open.

Johnny's stressed eyes scan the lobby only a second, before settling on Doyoung. Then, a little wider, they find Taeyong. Of course, it must look odd. For the past years, Johnny has always only found one (1) person waiting for him on this bench in the morning. And it has always been the same person, too, except for sundays. Taeyong's shoulders pull up at Johnny's intense stare and Doyoung instinctively places a hand on the man's shoulder.

"What the actual fuck are you doing here?" Johnny asks.

Doyoung holds up a hand, "Hey now, he-"

"I'm sorry Johnny, it was an accident." Taeyong interrupts and leaves Doyoung wide-eyed.

"Hold on a second, you know each other?" he gasps, looking back and forth between them.

"Briefly." Johnny still glares down at Taeyong, "I'm assuming you owe Doyoung your life by now? That would be just like you."

Why is Johnny so awful? He seems far too angry for a situation like this. Seriously, does he not know about Taeyong's stalker? Does he think Taeyong stayed in here on purpose? Only an idiot would assume that, after all who would willingly spend their night alone in a mall? Haunted, or not.

Taeyong has shrunk into himself even more in the past seconds, "I'm sorry, okay? I just... I couldn't stand it anymore."

Doyoung assumes he's talking about his stalker and he honest-to-god can not understand what Johnny's problem is, "Listen, no one got hurt. We should all go home and get a bit of rest."

"Oh no, Taeyong had his chance to rest and he passed it up." Johnny shakes his head with a stoic expression, "For now, he still has a shift to pull at the cinema."

Doyoung's eyebrows shoot up, "You work there? How come I've never seen you?"

"I usually... come here later." Taeyong mumbles, his hand stroking his own arm, as if he was cold.

Doyoung brushes off his jacket and wraps it around his shoulders. Biting back a smile, the other man whispers his thanks. Johnny huffs out a loud sigh, his gaze still searing, but starting to cool down. Doyoung isn't going to hold that against him. He can't imagine being mad at Taeyong for long either.

"Your paycheck is in the mail." Johnny says to Doyoung, "Don't forget to e-mail me your report."

"You got it, Boss." Doyoung salutes him lazily.

With another annoyed huff, Johnny stalks off, mumbling something to himself about how he 'can't believe' and 'dumbass' and 'why'. Doyoung looks after his friend and employer, until he disappears around a corner, presumably heading for his office. Then, he looks back at Taeyong, who seems definitely beaten-down. It's inappropriate, but his sad pout combined with the huge fit of Doyoung's jacket is just all kinds of adorable.

He dares to ruffle a hand through Taeyong's hair, "Don't let him get to you. Nothing happened, so there is nothing to be mourned, yeah?"

Taeyong manages a small smile, "I just... feel really bad. I let him down."

"Trust me, he can take it." Doyoung assures him, zipping the jacket up to Taeyong's chin, "I've lost count of how many times I've pushed my luck and made him angry, yet I'm still here and we still go for Korean BBQ every Friday."

"It's not just that I've made him mad, I–..." For a moment, it looks like Taeyong would continue, but then his shoulders drop with a tired sigh, "Nevermind. I'll talk to him, figure things out."

Doyoung gives him a sympathetic look, "If you need something, I'll be back at sun-down. Or I... could give you my number, if you want?"

There it is again; That sunny smile Taeyong tries to bite back, "Sounds good."

Admittedly, Doyoung's fingers tremble a respectable amount, as he types his digits into Taeyong's phone. It's worth it though, because Taeyong forgets to hide his smile and it's on full display this time; Wide, curled and beautiful. Doyoung wishes he could fill the feeling he gets with it into a jar and open it, whenever the world feels like too much.

"What are you gonna do now, anyways?" Taeyong asks, once his phone is back in his pocket.

"Go home... maybe read a book or watch a show and then: Sleep." Doyoung breathes in a big wave of air, "My favourite part after a long workday. I think I can feel pain in a place I shouldn't be able to feel pain. That Crocotta really got me good."

"The what?" Taeyong gapes.

Doyoung shakes his head, "Nothing. I'll tell you sometime."

"Well, I'm looking forward to that", the other says with a meaningful undertone, "Sleep tight and... text soon, yeah?"

"I'd be a fool not to." Doyoung says with a soft smile.

With a shy nod, the other man starts to retreat, steps so small, he looks like he would much rather stay a little longer. Doyoung can't blame him, he very much feels the same. He doesn't even bother telling Taeyong to give his jacket back, because really, he looks too damn cute in it. At some point Taeyong turns his back on him, but Doyoung can't help but watch him walk away, until finally, he is out of sight.

Throwing a quick look into his bag, he finds the phoenix fast asleep, between his gear and uniform, "Let's go home, hm?"

The mall is quiet and empty again, but Doyoung's heart isn't. He feels content, for the first time since forever, after a work-night. So, he goes home with a smile and has the best night of sleep in a long while.

\--*--

It takes Doyoung a total of five days, to finally gather up the courage and arrive at Neo mall a little earlier than usual. He has texted Taeyong a couple of times, but their sleeping rhythms are like black and white, so it always takes a while for each of them to answer. Even if Taeyong stays up, Doyoung can hardly type out a reply, when he is in the middle of fighting a ghoul. They made it work enough that they feel more comfortable around each other though, Taeyong even giving him the green light to call him 'Hyung'.

So, Doyoung thinks it's time to finally make his first move and meet Taeyong face to face again. If he manages – no, when he manages to ask him out on a date, that would be considered a great win. He just hopes he hadn't read the signals wrong. However, his roomate and fellow hunter Jungwoo had assured him that the amount of flirty emojis and choices of words are more than a good sign.

Neo mall is as busy as ever, buzzing with customers and employees that all have their own goal in mind. It's like a nest of ants, the longer Doyoung thinks about it, maybe even a nest of rats. It's kind of strange, admittedly. He is never here during the day, used to the whole place being drenched in darkness and creatures lurking in the deepest shadows. Seeing it like this, sometimes feels like a vivid dream, even though he knows it's what he should be used to, as a normal human being. Turns out, he isn't a normal human being, but that would be boring anyways, right?

At the candy store, he says hi to Donghyuck, receiving a free lollipop, to his surprise. At the playground, he meets Jeno, the security guard, who smiles at him like a baby bear. Then, finally he reaches the cinema. Since it's his usual hideout, Doyoung feels a sort of security wash over him, as soon as he enters the place. The thick, red carpet-floor is perfect to silence his steps and the counter in the middle hides him and gives him a perfect vantage point.

Except this time, when he looks at the counter, he doesn't see monsters and strategies. The uniform, although sort of ridiculous in its design, suits Taeyong oddly well. Maybe, he just manages to make it work with that magical smile of his. It's obvious, even from a mile away that he charms customers; giving them a gorgeous smile that has them spend a little more money than necessary. Doyoung isn't going to blame them for it. He thinks, if Taeyong asked him enough times, he would be convinced to buy the entire cinema with a whole lot of money that he doesn't have. And what a silly purchase a cinema would be...

"Do you want some popcorn, while you stare at me?" Doyoung chokes on his spit and hurries over to the counter.

_Alright, Doyoung, you're a first-class monster-hunter with a kill count of over three hundred creatures of the night. You can not loose your shit over a pretty boy._ "Not my fault you're more interesting to watch than any of the movies."

Taeyong grins, a small flush to his cheeks, "That's because the new Star Wars only comes out in a week."

"I've never seen Star Wars." Doyoung admits, leaning on top of the counter.

"It's a little like what you do at night", Taeyong wipes at the soft drink machine, before he suddenly stops, "except it's in space and there is lightsabers."

Laughing gently, Doyoung nods, "Yeah, sounds like a movie about my autobiography." After a short stretch of silence, Doyoung takes a deep breath, straightening up, "Listen... I've been thinking about uh- well, you and me and, well, you and me being... us and I thought-"

"Do you want to get a milkshake after I'm done?" Taeyong asks and Doyoung stares at him with wide eyes. The other man isn't looking at him, but rather at the filter of the coffee machine he is replacing, "Sorry, I thought you could use a little help there."

Scratching the back of his neck, Doyoung shuffles a little in place, "It's appreciated. I'm not... very steady when it comes to you, it seems."

"I hear that often." Taeyong laughs at Doyoung's scandalized expression, "Inside joke."

Tilting his head with confusion, Doyoung lets him get away with it. He spends the rest of Taeyong's shift browsing the movies that are on at the moment, throwing compliments at the other when he is least prepared and trying not to drool all over his shoes, when he gets caught up staring at Taeyong's face. It's surprisingly entertaining and sooner, rather than later, Taeyong is replaced by another girl with the same uniform. He sneaks out of the booth and tells Doyoung to wait while he goes to change.

All the while that he is gone, Doyoung tries not to imagine what it would look like to watch Lee Taeyong change into his casual clothes. His skin is already so smooth and porcelain-like on his face, would it be like that for the rest of his body, too? He seems so sturdy... his body is probably trained well. Not like Doyoung's: bulky and designed to react fast and strong, but lean and harvesting a more hidden strength. Doyoung's flush is just about to reach his ears, when a hand threads into his own.

"You ready to go?" Taeyong grins at him.

For a moment, Doyoung forgets how to speak. The man hadn't just changed, he had _changed._ His whole attitude went through a switch, along with his clothes. He is clad in a soft, pastel sweater that fits oddly well with his pitch black, ripped jeans and there are a couple of earrings in his earlobes now. The rings on his fingers look strong against his delicate fingers and they are cool in Doyoung's hand.

Doyoung's hand.

They're holding hands. Doyoung's face heats up a few more degrees.

"Yeah, let's go. M-milkshake, right?"

Taeyong laughs, an endearing, hiccupy sound, "Milkshake."

They wander through the mall, exchanging small conversation and bumping shoulders with every step. Doyoung has to admit that he is pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected them to be so comfortable from the get-go, but he guesses a bit of texting and a shared night in hell can bring people together faster than a party for example. He understands, of course, that not everyone has the opportunity of such a first meeting, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. Even though he still wonders occasionally, how Taeyong had slipped past all of their security measures. Is there really a blind spot in the bathroom?

After a few minutes, the two arrive at 'Floss Boss', the local Milkshake and candy floss shop. From behind the counter, YangYang and his fittingly purple hair grin back at them and they order. Taeyong gets strawberry and Doyoung gets Banana, because he is not a cretin.

Once their cool cups are freezing one of their palms and their intertwined hands are heating up the other, they settle down in one of the resting islands of the mall. It's really just a collection of beanbags and garden chairs, but comfortable nonetheless. Doyoung heads for the chairs first, but when Taeyong happily falls into a beanbag, Doyoung's heart tugs him in the other direction. How can he resist being as close to Taeyong as possible, really? He even _smells_ good – like a flowery perfume.

"Okay, question", Taeyong proposes and instead of answering, Doyoung slurps from his milkshake and hums, "When you look around right now, do you see any creatures? Like- is anything around here?"

Doyoung laughs gently, "If there was, would you even want to know."

"I'm not scared, if you're here." The statement has Doyoung's chest swell, "So? Do your hunter senses pick up something?"

"I'm not Spiderman." Doyoung dead-pans, but looks around anyways, "It wouldn't be smart of them to come out so obviously now and if they do, they can hide well enough that I couldn't see them." He breathes in slowly, "But everyone leaves traces."

As he points at a huddle of dead plants, Taeyong lifts a brow at him, "The plant is a monster?"

With a chuckle, Doyoung shakes his head, "No, but some creatures are so filled with death and darkness that plants just whither in their presence. Animals can feel it, too. They grow restless and scared that's why it's always good to analyse more than just the people who have presumably seen something."

"Analyse? Are you- like a detective?"

"I used to be. Before taking this job at Neo-mall." Doyoung explains, "I'd drive around town, listen for things that were out of the ordinary. Sometimes people would come up to me directly, when they thought there was something wrong in their homes. Then I'd go there and investigate, track the monster down and move onto the next."

Taeyong's eyes are wide as plates, "So, what you're saying is that you are one of the ghost-busters?"

Unable to contain himself, he pokes Taeyong in the side as a revenge. The man squeaks and laughs at the attack, but once Doyoung has pulled back his hand again, he leans into his side. This time around, though, he doesn't move away again, he stays there, pressed against Doyoung's side with the warmth seeping through their clothes.

"What about you?" Doyoung wonders and when Taeyong sends him a confused look he elaborates: "Or have you worked at the cinema, since you were born?"

"Yes, in fact, Johnny bred me out of a piece of popcorn and some cheap cola."

Doyoung hums, "That would explain why you're so unrealistically beautiful."

The flush on Taeyong's cheeks is more rewarding than any good warm bath, Doyoung could have after a long night. He seems surprised by the comment, but Doyoung can't imagine that he doesn't hear things like that on the regular. Still, Taeyong begins his answer with a stutter, ignoring Doyoung's comment for now: "I-I, uh... I actually used to live a good distance away from here. My circumstances were... difficult, I guess." he smiles a little sad, "I met Johnny and he pretty much changed my life. Took care of me from the first moment on. I even met Jaehyun through him, even though I really put my foot in it with that one."

Doyoung frowns, "Jaehyun?"

"Yeah the, uh... the stalker." Taeyong clarifies awkwardly.

"Oh."

What do you say to something like this? Doyoung had never heard of someone he knew having a stalker, much less had one himself. But he can imagine that it must be quite tough. Always knowing someone is following you around against your will and digging through your private life, as if it's their given right... Doyoung knows his method might be as much unconventional, as it is unhelpful, but if he ever meets the guy, the first thing he'll do is, probably to knock him up the head with his baseball bat.

His attention comes back to Taeyong, when he notes the other's shoulders have drawn up and he clears his throat. It's obvious how uncomfortable the topic makes him, so Doyoung decides to leave it be for now.

"So Johnny helped you out and brought you here?" He smiles.

Taeyong, seemingly thankful for the conversation swerve, nods, "I didn't really have a place to settle. No community, no friends, no family. It was all... I just didn't fit in wherever I went, it was like being lost." He sighs, "In a way, it felt like everywhere I went, all I left behind was destruction." Suddenly, the man laughs loud and rubs his face with his hands, "Oh god, I sound so melodramatic."

"No, no please", Doyoung places a hand on Taeyong's knee, "I like hearing about it. If it comforts you, I think I know the feeling."

Slowly, Taeyong uncovers his face and gives Doyoung an insecure look, "You do?"

"Most hunters do, from what I know." It's Doyoung's turn to feel the remorse clog his throat now, "We have a dangerous proffession. If we don't know how to handle it right, it's often the people that are close to us, who get hurt the most."

A warm hand covers his own, "I'm sorry."

Doyoung shakes his head, "Don't be. There is nothing to be sorry for." He takes a deep breath, steadies himself and recovers from the memories he has had to live with for the past years, "So you live around here now?"

They get back to a more calm and warm atmosphere then and, even though Doyoung greatly cherishes the sincere talks he gets to have with the other already, he is equally thankful for having a chance to breathe. Taeyong tells him, how he used to sleep here, at the Neo-mall, in one of the offices for a good few weeks, before being able to afford a small apartment from his savings. How Doyoung had never run into him, is beyond him, but Taeyong says it might be, because he is an early sleeper, so he locks himself inside the office even before the Neo-mall closes completely.

Another mystery, yet to be uncovered, is how Taeyong managed to live and sleep here for so long, yet never run into a single monster. Doyoung practically stumbles over them, if he takes a whole tour through the mall. How did Taeyong manage to stay off all of their radar? Phoenixes and shadows? Okay. But vampires and sirens? They would have had a feast with someone like Taeyong.

Well, there really is no point in questioning it now, anymore. Taeyong is out of the dangerzone and that's all that matters.

At some point, they decide to get moving again, wandering the Neo-mall and chatting about their hobbies, their friends and their other interests. Doyoung quickly finds that they have a shared passion for music, even if Taeyong's interest is more on the moving side and Doyoung's more on the melodic side. He should have guessed, with a lean body like that, that Taeyong is a dancer. Not that he paid particular attention to Taeyong's body. No. Totally no. That'd be too much.

On the other hand, it's hard not to notice how well-built he is... Doyoung knows for a fact that he could lift Taeyong up easily, if challenged. However, against his expectations, it might just work the other way around as well.

He almost misses the question thrown at him, as they approach closing-time, too caught up in his thoughts. Only when Taeyong tilts his head in that same way, he does when he expects something, does Doyoung snap out of it. God, he is sold.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Taeyong giggles, finger-combing his hair, "I asked if you wanted to do something like this again. Like... meet up and just... you know, hang out."

"Oh! Yes, yes I would love that." Doyoung smiles, then gathers his courage, through a deep breath, "On one condition, though." Taeyong hums with an endeared smile, "It gets to be a date next time."

There, he said it. Now he just has to manage, not to puke on his shoes from the nerves that overcome him, as he waits for Taeyong's answer. Again, the other man looks completely taken aback. Doyoung wonders, whether he is way less obvious than he initially thought, or if Taeyong is just oblivious. Probably a mixture of both. What about Taeyong, though? Had Doyoung read the signals wrong? Taken the flirtarious comments as flirtarious comments, instead of the regular bro-comments you'd give a nice guy you just befriended?

"Y-You don't have to agree of course, we can just meet as friends, too. I was just–"

"Alright." Taeyong nods, a wide kitten-smile on his lips.

Doyoung's eyes widen, "Wait- really?"

"Of course." The other shrugs, the smile still clinging to his lips, "You're handsome, you're polite and you make me laugh. And on top of that, you're a total badass and I have a thing for brave men with big biceps."

Suddenly, all the nervousness seeps from Doyoung's veins and he laughs, "Charming."

"I know. You're so lucky." Taeyong muses.

"Indeed I am." He hopes the other can hear the sincerity in his voice, "How about Thursday, then? We could go to the 'Ten's Thai'-restaurant."

Nodding, the older fidgets with the hem of his uniform, "Sounds nice. I'll meet you at seven?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) | [Ig](https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato) | [Tumblr](https://midnight-writ3r.tumblr.com/) –> Send me a message, I love to make friends! 
> 
> So, if you´re following my twt, you already saw, but **Philocalist** is now at over 80 k words and soon to be finished! I´m so nervous about how people are gonna receive it, because it really is _intense._ It´s hard to portray such powerful human emotion realistically, but I really tried :'D The story is a long strip of moral grey-zones and you´ll either hate, love or feel both for the two main characters HAHAHA 
> 
> I also started a different Baekyong story, which is called Clockwork Heartbeat, but I´m not sure yet, how that´s gonna go :'D I´ve gotten more interested in working on original stories, but I´ll always enjoy writing fanfic as well. 
> 
> What have you guys been up to?? How do you like the development of Mandatory Monster Measures? Isn´t Taeyong just the cutest?? TT But also a little omnious 030 What do you think it is that he hides?? 
> 
> Until next time, my lovely readers! Remember how much I cherish you! <3<3 Stay safe and healthy!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know what I always wonder about?" Doyoung asks and Taeyong hums, "Why there are always so many of them. In Neo-Mall, I mean. Think about it: there is some random mall in the city that needs a special hunter to tend for the mall only. Usually, a single hunter can cover a small city, if the activity is low."
> 
> Next to him, Taeyong stills, in the middle of stiring the food in the pot, "What do you mean?"
> 
> "Like- Why do they all gather in one place?" he continues, "I've had _everything_ crawl around the shadows in there. But there is nothing of interest that could be there. It's weird, too, some nights there is nothing at all, as if the reason they were there suddenly disappeared, too. Then, the next night it's back to ten freaking monsters in one place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little shorter, but I hope you´ll enjoy it regardless! Have fun <3

They meet up on Thursday. Then, they meet up on Friday, too. And just when Doyoung thought he couldn't get luckier, they agree to have a sleepover (over the day) from Saturday morning, to Saturday evening. Taeyong never complains about the strange hours and insists that he has more than enough time on Sunday, to get his sleeping rhythm back under control. So, Doyoung waits at the entrance of the mall with his heart high in his throat on Saturday morning. Johnny gives him a strange look, as he greets him in passing by, but Doyoung barely hears him. Would Taeyong be okay with the couch? Isn't his apartment too small? What if he doesn't like his furniture? God, who knows. Doyoung just really doesn't want this to go wrong.

"You okay?" He jumps and whirls around, to find himself facing the object of his most recent affection.

Taeyong looks soft, wrapped up in a white hoodie and a pastel purple cap crowning his head. He likes this style on the older. Usually, he would go for edgy and stylish, loads of jewellery and dark eye-makeup, but today it's just casual Lee Taeyong. Doyoung has to stop himself from comparing him to a kitten all the time, but it's more difficult, when the similarity is so obvious. He wonders if Taeyong would mind getting his head scratched... _Oh, pull yourself together._

"You scared me." He admits with a small smile. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed Taeyong approach, too wrapped up in his thoughts. Sure enough though, Johnny left the door open for the first employees.

A little sheepish, Taeyong scratches at his nape, "I'm sorry, I thought you saw me." Then, he takes a deep breath, as if to push himself, "Shall we?"

Nodding, Doyoung sets into motion, the older man attaching himself to his side, like a puppy. He takes the first step then, because really, what does he have to lose at this point? His fingers wrap around Taeyong's, shy at first, but when the older's reciprocate the connection, he squeezes the his hand with a little more confidence. Taeyong doesn't meet his eye, but only blesses the floor with a smile.

They take Doyoung's car to his apartment, only driving about ten minutes, since traffic is barely in motion at this hour. His hands are a little shaky, when he unlocks the door to his apartment, with Taeyong's shadow looming behind him, but he manages to fit the key and get them inside. Doyoung, with his crappy-ass job, had never managed to get a fancy, large apartment, but he hadn't really felt the need to, either. It's a large apartment for one and a small apartment for two. He even has a pull-out couch in the living room, for guests. Other than that, there is a couch-table, a fluffy carpet, some plants and an open kitchen. The large window on one side, at least gives a nice view across the city, since they are all the way up on the 10th floor.

Taeyong looks around with a happy smile, eyes dancing across Doyoung's living space and soaking up every detail. He stops at the large movie-shelf. Everything, from Die hard, over The Avengers, The Conjuring and even a few cartoons, is displayed on several levels, arranged after their alphabetical order and genre.

"A hobby of yours?" Taeyong teases, pointing a finger at the movie-wall.

Doyoung pouts, "I'd rather say it's a calling."

Laughing softly, Taeyong moves on, to check out the several titles. It strikes Doyoung then that he could spend hours watching Taeyong just _be._ How his features are always so soft, as he smiles, as he thinks, as he pouts, as he talks. Even as he just looks at Doyoung with those big eyes, he is still a sight to see. A kind of person who should be painted and sculpted by gifted hands. Doyoung is afraid all he can give the other is a miserable hunter-fee and unadulterated adoration. Perhaps, though, that could be enough.

"Should I make din- breakfast?" He laughs at himself.

Taeyong nods, "I'll help you."

They set up some materials in the kitchen, to cook a filling stew for the morning. As Taeyong asks him about where to find certain things every now and then and they move around each other so fluently, Doyoung can barely believe they have only known each other for a couple of days. Yet, it feels like ages. Maybe, because they have spent almost all of the time they had together, already. Doyoung can't see himself getting sick of the other's presence. Whatever they do, it's utter serenity, even if they don't exchange any words for a few minutes. With Taeyong, he feels like he is exaclty where he is supposed to be.

As Taeyong chops up some vegetables, Doyoung watches him thoughtfully. Does Taeyong feel this way, too? Or is this just Doyoung's hopeless romantic breaking through? 

"That's gonna burn." He is ripped from his thoughts, when Taeyong nods at the onions they have already dumped into a pan to fry. Scrambling to gather his spatula, Doyoung shuffles them around the oil, cringing a little at how brown some of them have turned already.

"You're entirely too distracting." The words come, without thinking, but Doyoung doesn't feel the need to take them back.

A shy giggle sounds next to him, "Be careful. I'm not even trying yet."

With his heartbeat in his throat, Doyoung glances at the other. Taeyong has stopped chopping the vegetables on his board, in favour of looking right back at him. There is another sweet smile curling his lip, but this time there is something just a little wicked about it, too. Doyoung bites his cheek. His eyes dart to Taeyong's mouth and he knows there is no way, the other could have missed it, because the smirk widens.

Clearing his throat, Doyoung looks back at the onions. There is heat gathering in the tips of his ears and he adjusts his hair, so Taeyong won't see the redness that has undoubtedly spread there. Thankfully, Taeyong ceases the teasing for the rest of their cooking progress. He replaces it with gentle conversation about Doyoung's night and the younger tells him about the two ghouls that had given him a hard time that day.

"You know what I always wonder about?" Doyoung asks and Taeyong hums, "Why there are always so many of them. In Neo-Mall, I mean. Think about it: there is some random mall in the city that needs a special hunter to tend for the mall only. Usually, a single hunter can cover a small city, if the activity is low."

Next to him, Taeyong stills, in the middle of stiring the food in the pot, "What do you mean?"

"Like- Why do they all gather in one place?" he continues, "I've had _everything_ crawl around the shadows in there. But there is nothing of interest that could be there. It's weird, too, some nights there is nothing at all, as if the reason they were there suddenly disappeared, too. Then, the next night it's back to ten freaking monsters in one place."

Taeyong's shoulders have pulled up ever so slightly. Probably, because he is scared, too. After, all he works there and he has seen the horrors that the night tends to bring to Neo-Mall that one time, he accidentally locked himself inside. In retrospect, Doyoung is more than relieved that he had found Taeyong in time. It's gruesome to think about, but only god can tell what would have happened to the older, if something else had gotten to him earlier.

"Does it really matter why they're there?" He asks then, "After all, you only have to get rid of them. And if you can get rid of them there, the whole city is safe, right?"

"'Safe'?"

"Because, they're locked in with _you._ Not out there, on the streets, killing people." Taeyong clarifies.

Doyoung mulls that over for a moment, "I've never thought about it like that. Maybe, you're right, though."

"I'm sure about it", The other insists, "You saved a lot of people's lives. Not just mine."

A warm feeling of pride washes over him at the sincere look Taeyong gives him. He hadn't expected the man to be capable of so much seriousness, but just for the moment, his usual playful attitude has taken a step back. Doyoung appreciates it. That must mean Taeyong really believes in him.

"Thank you."

Taeyong's tensed shoulders fall and he smiles, "There's nothing to thank me for, silly."

As Doyoung watches him for a moment, he takes note of the way his hand seems to grip the wooden spoon a little tighter than necessary. There is a furrow in his brows, too, which Doyoung could bet wasn't there before. Something about their conversation upset him.

"Did I... say something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He mutters.

Taeyong straightens and his eyes widen, as if ripped from deep thoughts, "What? No! No, don't worry. I was just-... I got distracted- by some thoughts. I mean- there's just been a lot going on."

"Is this about your stalker?"

"My what?"

A little confused, Doyoung watches Taeyong pull a duo of plates from his shelf, "Your stalker. What was his name? Jaehyun. The one you said you were hiding from that night we met?"

"Oh!" For a moment, it seems like Taeyong actually forgot about the whole thing. With any other person, Doyoung would have found that awfully fishy, but this is Taeyong – sweet, sincere Taeyong. He decides to let it go, "Yeah, uh... he's been–... at my job. Didn't talk to me, he was just creeping around there. Does that sometimes, because he works at Neo-Mall, too."

"He works there?" Doyoung asks, a little startled.

"Y-yeah." Taeyong nods, spilling a little of the stew onto the counter in his hurry. He curses softly, but Doyoung nudges him away, to wipe the mess up with a sponge. With a sheepish sigh, Taeyong puts the stew down again, "Works the cash register at a bookstore."

Putting the sponge away again, Doyoung takes the pot and distributes an equal amount of the food to their plates, "You mean 'Timeless books'?" Taeyong hums in agreement, "Why haven't you told Johnny? He'd never let someone like that stick around."

"That's a little much, don't you think?" Taeyong pouts, "It's not like he's threatening me, he's just acting a little weird. That's hardly enough of a reason to have someone lose their job."

"It's enough of a reason for some to call the police." Doyoung sighs, when he sees Taeyong's shoulders pull up higher again. Those are some boundaries they are not ready for, yet. He realizes that, so he takes a step back and attempts to ease the atmosphere: "If he starts acting crazy, will you tell me?"

"Only if you don't kill him."

"No, I'll only break a few of his bones." When Taeyong snorts and visibly relaxes, Doyoung dares to cup the man's cheek with a hand. He startles under the touch, but doesn't pull away, when Doyoung rubs his skin with a thumb, "Jokes aside. I just want to make sure you're okay."

For a moment, they just stand there in silence. Taeyong's eyes are watching him, as if searching for something. Meanwhile, Doyoung can only hope that whatever it is, he finds it. When Taeyong releases a long breath, the warmth hits his cheek. Not for the first time, Doyoung realizes how close he is to the other man. It almost happens on auto-pilot; one moment they're a metre apart, the next only a hair's breadth. Falling into the temptation of Lee Taeyong is just too easy, for a weak man like Doyoung, to resist. Then again, does he have to resist?

He attempts the jump – leans a little closer, until he can almost taste the other on his own lips. A hand on his chest stops him. Taeyong is smiling, the blush on his cheeks matching the alluring teint of his mouth.

"Food first."

And who is Doyoung to disagree? Even if he wanted to, he is rendered speechless and Taeyong has already taken his chance and scooped up the two plates, to carry them to the couch-table.

Doyoung doesn't have a fancy dinner table, or even a kitchen counter to eat at, so the only reasonable space to eat at is the living room table. Taeyong falls on the couch with a delighted sound.

"Let's watch a movie, before we sleep." He requests, "I have like- five movies in total at home. This luxury has to be lived."

They end up with their plates in their laps and Star Trek blasting on the TV. It could be Doyoung's biased opinion, but somehow the food tastes way more delicious than usual. Could be the burnt onions. He casts a glance at Taeyong, who seems absolutely enraptured by the movie. The happenings on screen reflect in his eyes like they would in two droplets of water and Doyoung feels his heart swell once again with endearment. Maybe, not just the onions.

He doesn't really know how, but throughout the video, they end up wrapped around each other, instead of seated at a respectable distance. Taeyong is warm and firm against his chest and there is a hand against his back, stroking gentle circles. It's more than enough to lull him to a light sleep, even over the crashing, shouting and blasting of the movie. The night had tired him out, monsters had kept him on his toes and he simply can't stop himself from drifting off.

Only when Taeyong shifts, to reach for the remote and rattles him awake, does Doyoung open his eyes. "Oh shit, sorry. I just wanted to turn off the TV." Taeyong whispers.

Grunting, Doyoung buries his face in the other's chest. God, it's so warm and comfortable, he could just fall asleep and stay here for a week. Above him, Taeyong giggles and a moment later, there are fingers carding through his hair. His cheeks flush again, with a feeling of closure. He knows it's not quite enough yet, so he rights himself and pulls away. It's torturous, to endure so much affection, when he doesn't know where they are headed yet. Even if things look up right now, he doesn't want to risk having misunderstood their whole chemistry and getting his heart broken after all.

Taeyong smiles at him, once he comes up. The sun that shines in from outside frames him in a sweet, yellow light and gives him a soft glow. It startles Doyoung awake – what he has in front of him – easily the most gorgeous man he has ever laid his eyes on.

"Oh wow, thank you." The other giggles suddenly.

Oh great. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Very loud and clear." Taeyong giggles.

"I'm... Sorry. I just- I'll get bedsheets, for your- and blankets. You need blankets. Or one blanket. I-" He is in the motion of getting to his feet, when a tug on his wrist drives him right back into the mattress.

Perhaps, the universe is in a funny mood today, because before he realizes what's happening, Doyoung has a whole Taeyong in his lap. His eyes are wide with surprise, hands frozen mid-air and unsure where to settle – _if_ to settle – and he has never been so overwhelmed by anything. No monsters, no jobs, no hunts. This is just a man he likes, a man so attractive, it shouldn't be legal and Doyoung, with his racing heart can't comprehend how this could happen to him. Out of all the lucky bastards in the world, he gets to be the luckiest.

The other's weight is steadying on his thighs, legs framing him like a fitted puzzle piece. Taeyong smells of roses and shampoo, freshly brewn stew and worn clothes. And home. Taeyong smells of home. Finally, Doyoung decides to place his hands on the other's waist, high up, so it doesn't seem disrespectful. Taeyong leans into it with a smile and places his own arms around Doyoung's neck.

"Sure, you could get those blankets", Doyoung's breath hitches, when the other moves close enough for their noses to bump into each other, "or you could do what you actually want to do. What you wanted to do before."

As if Taeyong's mere existence isn't enough to overthrow Doyoung completely, now there is this attitude, as well. He is darker around the edges now, more mysterious and enthicing than ever before and god, does Doyoung want to give in badly. Wants to kiss Taeyong breathless, until he can't think of anything else, but Doyoung and the feeling he gives him.

He is scared, though. Taeyong is special. A treasure, Doyoung had never expected to find, least of all among a sea of monsters, in the dead of night. Whatever comes and goes, he has to do this right. Any possible future with Taeyong, may it be as friends or as more, is not something he can afford to lose by being premature.

"Y-You– I don't want to push you into–" He closes his eyes briefly and takes a breath, "I like you. Like really. But, I don't want you to feel like you have to do something you don't actually want to, just, because I-"

"Doyoung." It's his own name from Taeyong's mouth and a finger on his lips that rips Doyoung's voice from his throat, "Just kiss me."

There are a million other things he could say, but he doesn't think that this is the right moment anymore. This is the right moment to take a step forward. To plunge himself into the unknown waters of Lee Taeyong and enjoy the ride for whatever it turns out to be.

So, he closes the distance and does as he is told. Kissing Taeyong like the universe is watching and Doyoung has to do well, just to prove himself. He presses close, lets their lips glide together with little pressure at first, before leaning in with more intent. A sharp inhale sounds, at the first brush of wet tongues and he isn't even sure if it was Taeyong's or his own. His hand comes up to steady Taeyong's neck, feeling his hair tickle against the tips of his fingers and guiding the older's head, so they fit even better against each other.

The lithe body in Doyoung's lap shuffles and he thinks he could as well be taking off from the ground any second, when Taeyong presses so close, they end up chest to chest. Fingers are tugging at the nape of his neck and he tilts his head, giving in. A pleased sound rumbles in Taeyong's chest and Doyoung takes another dive, by stroking his free hand along the expanse of his thigh. Those delicious, defined thighs. He might as well be a teenager, with the amount of times he has caught himself thinking about them.

Or this. Kissing. Of course, he had pictured them together before, but never could he have guessed it would be like this. So natural, so harmonizing. They belong together and Doyoung feels it in every fibre of his body.

When they pull apart, it's only so they can pant into each other's mouth. Taeyong's forehead falls against his own and he bites down on his bottom lip, as he catches his breath. There is a deeper flush on his cheeks now, from getting so worked up and Doyoung briefly wonders, what he expects out of this sleepover. Is this as far as they go? Or, is Doyoung supposed to take the initiative and go further...?

"You're cute when you're all flustered." Taeyong whispers, before he can panic, "I like you, too, Doyoung. Honestly."

The relief that washes over him is like a warm wave. He allows himself to chase another light peck and it sends spark to his heart, to know he can just have it. Not just that, but Taeyong decides to hunt one down himself and, before they know better, they are back to making out like love-struck teenagers.

"Can I sleep in your bed?"

Doyoung startles, "Y-You want to-"

"Just sleep." Taeyong teases, rolling his eyes, "Don't get carried away."

"Oh, yuh-yeah, of course."

The older's features soften a little, then and he mindlessly plays with the neckline of Doyoung's shirt, "I'd just like... the proximity, I guess. Feels weird, thinking that I'd just sleep in another room."

Nodding, Doyoung strokes the worried creases out from between Taeyong's brows, "Sure. Whatever you need, you have a safe space here."

"Thank you." Taeyong smiles softly.

Then, with a huff, he climbs out of Doyoung's lap. It's to both of their dismay, he realizes, upon spotting the small pout on Taeyong's lips. Those kissable lips. So what, if he gives into pinning Taeyong against the wall, just before they can get to the bedroom and kisses him again? There is a grin playing against his lips on every second, so he thinks the other appreciates his intentions as well.

They make it to the bed eventually, because Doyoung feels boneless and Taeyong insists that he needs to rest, sooner rather than later, "After all, if you're tired you might grow slow. And imagine, you're not alert enough, to fight off an Arachne, just because you insisted on staying up all day."

Doyoung only hums. He doesn't remember to ask Taeyong, how he can possibly know anything about Arachnes, when Doyoung has never told him about them. Instead, he lets himself pass out from the exhaustion, right against Taeyong's steady chest.

\--*--

They continue at a moderate pace. Being around Taeyong is easy and Doyoung finds himself thinking of the man more often than not. It's a blessing and a curse, because just the memory of the other man's smile manages to lift him off his feet, but on the other hand he almost dies a couple of times, by getting too distracted. Monsters don't give two shits, if you've found the love of your life, they try to bite off your head, suck out your soul or drink your blood either way. It only gets worse, once they venture into more daring territory and exchange _pictures_. Yes, the pictures that you're thinking of right now.

Other than that, Doyoung really doesn't even notice the time pass around him. Nights go by in a blur of daydreams about Taeyong and slaughtering random creatures of the dark. Meanwhile, his days are either slept away, or spent with Taeyong, too. It's difficult to get much time together, when their schedules are like black and white, but they are unwilling to give up the couple of hours they can have inbetween, for something so trivial as sleep. Often times those extra hours are bought by Doyoung staying longer after work, or showing up early. It's exhausting, sure, but worth the wide, excited smile, Taeyong's face breaks out into, whenever he spots Doyoung among the crowd.

Like right now, with his dumb, little cinema hat on his shiny hair and that ridiculous uniform, still looking like he belongs on the cover of a magazine. Sometimes Doyoung isn't sure whether he should be jealous of Taeyong's looks or jealous of himself, for being Taeyong's... well, Taeyong's something. Taeyong's boy. That's where it ends. The second level hasn't been accomplished yet, but Doyoung is confident that, if things continue to look up like they do right now, it's not going to take long, until they get there.

"Let me guess." Taeyong holds up a finger, "You're here for the re-run of Dracula."

Doyoung laughs, "No thanks, I dealt with a vampire just the other day. He pretended to be lost, like you."

"Sounds like I was lucky, you didn't shoot me." The other comments, with a grimace.

Laughing, Doyoung gives Taeyong a kiss on the cheek and moves on, to collect his gear from Johnny's office. It's a hidden, little door, right past the janitors closet, all the way in the middle of Neo-Mall. The whole complex is built like a giant crescent, with entrance doors at the two tips and the main entrance at the widened middle part. It's the place, where Doyoung usually ends up at the end of a night, awaiting Johnny's large frame behind the tall glass walls. There is also a huge statue in the middle that depicts an angel. 'A blessing for this cursed place', Johnny always calls it. Doyoung thinks the woman looks a little ridiculous, with one hand on her chest in astonishment and the other wrapped around a candle she is holding up. The candle's wick isn't even lighted, the sculptor must have been too lazy to work out the fire, as well.

Now, they have a live-sized angel with a candle that isn't even alight. At least, the plants all around it, make it look somewhat fashionable.

Just when Doyoung slips inside, the first announcment of the night echoes through the mall, prompting the guests and visitors, to wrap up their shopping and make their way towards any of the exits. A floor above him, Doyoung knows Taeyong is in the middle of closing the movie theatre; wiping the counters, cleaning the teatre hall of lost popcorn and sorting the tickets for the following day in advance. Meanwhile, Doyoung is here, in this badly lit room that is achingly close to a storeroom, even though Johnny insists it's an office.

Said man is still seated behind his makeshift desk (an old check-out counter from one of the makeup stores that closed), his nose buried in bills, official complaints and other documents that would give Doyoung a headache. He looks tired and Doyoung is half tempted to tell him to take a break. But, he knows his boss. Johnny would simply insist on needing another coffee and that would mean Doyoung would have to speed run to the Starbucks on the other end of the mall, to get one. No, thanks. A mistake he doesn't need to repeat.

So, instead, he mumbles a brief greeting and passes Johnny's desk, to get to his large sports bag. Inside, he finds his gun with the silver bullets, a blade made of sturdy iron, a rosarie, a worn volume of 'The exorcism-spell collection', an ampulla, filled with salt and a flask full of holy water. The essentials. There are way more things, stocked around the shelves in Johnny's office, but they are all specifically prepared for certain creatures, which Doyoung almost never encounters.

He fastens all the items in their respective places around his body. Once that is done, he digs for his phone and smiles at the message he discovers:

**Taeyong:** Stay safe today <3

**You:** Not gonna give me a kiss for good luck?

**Taeyong:** What about a kiss as a reward, instead?

**Taeyong:** That way I can be assured, you'll stay alive and come back to me

**You:** Guess I'll have to take care now <3

Scrunching his nose in endearment, he pockets his phone again and waits for the final announcement and the mall to close.

\--*--

With a sigh, Doyoung sits down at the foot of the angel-monument. Every single part of his body hurts. Two werewolves, five ghosts and a Rakshasa later, he is honest to god, ready to go home and sleep for two years. It's not even 3 a.m. yet. How could he have stumbled upon so many monsters already? All he can hope for is that this means, he has cleared out most of them for the night and there isn't another storm coming his way. 

He will just take a rest here for a moment, then make another round across the second floor. Rolling his head on his shoulders, a few cracks sound in his muscles and he rubs his hands over his face with a groan. Maybe, once he gets home, he should take a nice, hot bath. Yeah, that sounds like a real treat right now. And if he uses his puppy eyes... who knows, maybe Taeyong would join him.

_Crack._

Suddenly, Doyoung's entire body is straightened in alert. With a dry swallow, his hand closes around his iron-blade and he turns his head in the direction the sound had come from. It's completely dark, only the emergency-exit signs glow in their trademark green light. It's also entirely too quiet all of a sudden. He knows the sound he heard had been a dried leaf, crunching beneath a weight, suddenly pressed upon it. Doyoung hadn't moved a muscle, it can't have been him. That means someone else is here.

Or some

"Come out." He requests, hand wrapping tighter around his weapon, "I know you're there."

Out of the shadows that the plants all around the monument cast, a silhouette breaks free. The face of a woman is barely visible under a dark cloak and the way she walks looks like she is levitating across the ground. He gets to his feet and takes a few cautious steps back.

"Where is he?" 

Doyoung frowns, "There is no one here, except me."

The woman mirrors his expression and looks him up and down, "You're not him."

"I told you, I'm the only one. Whoever you're looking for, isn't here."

" _Lies!_ " The woman shouts and with a dismissive wave of her hands, Doyoung feels a sudden gush of wind break through the mall. The leaves above him rustle, but the air doesn't grow colder. Not a ghost, then. Not a banshee either, because the woman's voice sounds normal, even when she raises it. "I know that he is here. I can feel him."

Straightening his shoulders, Doyoung says: "You need to leave."

"Or what?" She cocks her head with a cold smirk.

"I'll stab you with this, before you can reach the exit." He bites.

He half-expects another cocky remark, but what he gets instead, is a huge wave of fire, sent his way. Just in time, Doyoung manages to dive away from the attack, feeling the warmth lick at his arm. Too close for comfort. Another ball of fire misses him by a hair's breadth and another one warms the tip of his nose as it rushes past. He should have known – must be a witch.

Ducking behind the large angel statue, he rummages for a throwing star, he had pocketed somewhere within his jacket. An intricate piece, covered in runes and symbols that Jungwoo had taken ages to research and work into the material. The iron glints a little wicked in the light of the fire around him. Most of the plants that surround the angel statue had caught fire. Johnny will have a heart attack, when he returns and sees this, but for now, Doyoung decides to put saving his own life at the top of the priority list, instead of a few potted plants. 

Jungwoo had given him three stars in total, but one had gotten lost to one of the werewolves from before and he will have to wait for Mark's disposal process, before he can get it back. Two chances. Doyoung takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, to collect himself. Another ball of fire bounces off the stone of the angel and he can almost feel it catch onto the tips of his hair. No time to hesitate.

Suddenly, a loud, wailing sound rumbles through the entire mall. It's not human, nor a sound any kind of creature that Doyoung knows of, could make. It sounds a lot more like metal, creaking against metal and suffering a bit of a struggle from it. The ground vibrates beneath his feet, a couple of leaves shaking and coming loose from their already pitiful remaining branches. The witch releases a surprised sound, stumbling where she stands and Doyoung knows, no matter what the hell is happening right now, this might be the only chance he gets. So, he re-positions, strikes out and throws.

A small jerk goes through the witch's body and all of a sudden, she goes very still. Her wide eyes hush back and forth between Doyoung and the small throwing star that is nestled right in the centre of her chest. Her arm lifts and a last, tiny whizz of sparks breaks free, before she topples backwards and lands on her back, unmoving.

Only then, does Doyoung's focus shift. What he finds leaves him just as still as the angel statue, next to him. In the ground of the mall, just a few metres away from him, the intricate tiles have sunken into the floor, as if suddenly overtaken by quicksand. The first just a little, the next a bit more and so on. A hidden staircase.

Finally, the tiles stop moving and the vibrating comes to a halt. The sudden silence that comes with the creaking's absence gives the mall an even more eerie vibe than usual and Doyoung, for the first time in years, actually feels a little scared. What the hell is this? In all his years, working at this cursed mall, he had never even heard a conversation about this secret pathway. He doesn't even know, why it would decide to open right at this second, while he is standing next to this stupid angel statue that Johnny had always insisted on having-

Doyoung freezes and slowly looks up at the angel. The candle in its hand isn't its usual, stony self, but rather an actual candle. A small flame dances above it, as if to taunt Doyoung and his nescience. It must have been the witch, who had set a fire to the little thing and now, it had opened a secret passage that Doyoung had never known about, despite having spent the better half of a decade at this place, every night. Johnny... If he was the one to place the statue there, he must have known of this thing, right? Or maybe, it was his idea anyways. What for, though? What good could a secret staircase, in the middle of a mall be?

Only one way to find out.

Righting his posture and tugging his dishevelled attire back into place, Doyoung jumps from the angel's plateau and wanders towards the staircase. He passes the witch's unmoving frame with caution, but even as he gives her a slight nudge with his toe, she stays dead. Gulping, Doyoung moves to descend the stairs, footsteps echoing softly against the marble.

It's dark, barely light enough for him to see his own hand before his eyes, so he digs in his pocket for a lighter. The little flame is enough to show him that the staircases takes him several metres beneath the earth. With every step he takes, the urge to turn back around grows stronger, but he resists. To be honest, he isn't even sure whether it's curiousity, his sense of duty, or even just the frustration at his own ignorance, which causes him to move on, but after a while, he stands at the bottom of the stairs, right in front of an unassuming door. It's made of metal, but a thin sort, that could be dented with a little bit of effort.

None of that is necessary though, since it gives in, the moment Doyoung presses on the door handle. With a creak, it swings open, only to reveal the most mind-twisting thing, Doyoung might ever see in his life.

The entrance opens up onto a wide metal-plateau, right against the wall of a perfectly globular room. Like a vine, it reaches around the whole room, in a perfect circle. It only branches out a few metres to his right, reaching a long bridge towards the middle of the room. A bright, blue light emmits from there, filling out the whole room, even in its massive size. There are cables hanging from the ceiling, attached to something that almost looks like a transparent Christmas bauble. Like water, the light seems to shimmer in a speed that reminds of slow-motion and in the midst of it all...

Doyoung's heart stops and his hand automatically reaches out to latch onto the railing that encaves the plateau. There, seeming to levitate in the middle of the Christmas bauble, floats a figure – a person, in fact. They are slight, eyes closed and arms crossed over their chest.

"Taeyong..." He whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) | [Ig](https://https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato_xo) | [Tumblr](https://midnight-writ3r.tumblr.com/) –> Text me, I´d love to make friends! :D 
> 
> WHAAAAT??? Now what does THAT mean, eh?? 
> 
> There will only be one more chapter and an Epilogue y´all! So exciteddddd!! Literally I love Dotae so much, their friendship has just grown cuter and cuter over the last weeks and I can´t get enough of it!! 
> 
> I hope you like how the story is going and can anticipate the next steps, too! I also hope you won´t wanna rip my head off for the sudden cliffhanger– OTL I just had to take the opportunity, u know??? It´s an authors instinct HAHAH 
> 
> Please take care of yourself, read good fanfics and stay inside, if you can <3 Christmas is closing in and I can see people are starting to read my Christmas one shot from years ago again, Lmao!! I´m actually thinking about writing another one for Baekyong, but idk the inspiration hasn´t hit me yet. 
> 
> Fanfiction in general has become a little more difficult for me to write, I´m not really sure why though. My original work is going super great! I´m writing the second part of my original series 'The second' and it´s a blast, because after loads of struggling, I feel like the storyline is finally starting to align in my head haha! 
> 
> I love you guys so much, thank you for reading!! See you around for the next Pink Sweater, Philocalist or Mandatory Monster Measures update <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Jaehyun." He mutters.
> 
> Doyoung's eyes widen, "The stalker?!"
> 
> "Stalker?" The man's voice is pleasant to the ear, a deep baritone, but there is no overlooking the poison lacing it, "Is that all I am to you, nowadays, pretty boy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be a double post bc my dear friend laurie is gonna bite me in the ass, if I don´t update the complete story and leave her with a cliffhanger again HAHAHA 
> 
> Enjoy my loves, the endnotes will be in the next chapter <3

"Taeyong..." He whispers.

There is no hesitation left in him, when he begins to run around the plateau and towards the slim bridge. The distance beneath Doyoung guarantees harsh injuries, if he were to topple over the railing, yet Taeyong levitates freely beneath it – nothing holding him up, except the glass that curves around him. Only when Doyoung comes closer, does he realize that the front of the container is open and there is no water around Taeyong's unmoving body. It's something else – a trick of the light from... from Taeyong himself.

It's a small bulb on his chest, right beneath his crossed arms. Almost as if someone is holding a blue flashlight against his skin from the inside, the circle glows in a strong saturation, but a bit muted in its sharpness. How could that be? What the hell is going on?

"Yong? Taeyong?" Doyoung calls out. No response.

Frantically, his eyes search around for any indication on what to do. There is nothing at all, nothing he could use as a hint. He had never seen anything even remotely similar, not even on the internet. It's almost like magic... but not the sort that witches or demons would use, no it's almost too pure to be compared.

"Tae...?" He tries again and startles at how small and desperate his voice sounds. Yes, perhaps Doyoung is scared of whatever this is, whatever this _means._

This time, he gets a reaction. Taeyong's eyelids flutter and his mouth opens ever so slightly. It takes a few seconds, before his eyes open, a little drowsy, as if he had just woken up from deep sleep. His eyes fix on Doyoung, expressionless at first. Then, they widen in surprise, although he still keeps his arms crossed over his chest.

"Doyoung?"

"Y-Yeah baby, it's me." There is little else that comes to his mind, "Y-You... what is-", he gulps down the tears he feels prodding at his eyes, "What is all this?"

The deep regret in Taeyong's eyes seems to amplify with the light that mirrors inside of them, "I can explain. I swear, y-you- It'll make sense."

Taking a step back, Doyoung watches Taeyong step out of the glass-ball. He wavers a little in his steps, legs seeming to be like jelly and, despite himself, Doyoung doesn't hesitate to dart forward and hold the other man up by the waist. A hand settles on his shoulder, steadying and a little pleading. When Taeyong looks up at him, Doyoung almost expects to see a stranger. But he doesn't, he sees the same face, the same eyes, of the man he had fallen for. 

"Y-You..." Taeyong takes a moment, letting his eyes wander around Doyoung's frame, but never meeting his gaze, "How did you find me?"

"Per accident I guess", Carefully, Doyoung pushes the other off his chest, to bring a bit of distance between them. Hurt briefly flickers over Taeyong's gaze, but Doyoung doesn't have the strength to react on it, "Seems like I wasn't supposed to find you, in the first place."

"Not really, no." Taeyong admits.

He seems awfully interested in his feet and Doyoung has to hold back the urge of petting his hair, as a sign of comfort. There is no way he could just pretend like this isn't a big thing. Like his whole world hadn't been turned upside-down in the moment, Doyoung laid eyes on Taeyong, floating around a secret room with a glowing light in his chest. Especially, when he still has a hard time wrapping his mind around the whole situation. The more he watches the other man, the more time passes them in tense silence, the more Doyoung fears that the man his heart had attached itself to, had never been real to begin with. He doesn't want that to be true. Wants Taeyong to explain everything and makes sense of the mystery, so bad. But, he has to be prepared. Prepared for a truth he might not be able to handle well.

A truth that changes everything between them.

"I don't mean to sound harsh", Doyoung begins, "but you better explain what the fuck is going on right now. Because, I'm honestly not sure who I have in front of me right now and I really don't like it."

Taeyong flinches softly and as his shoulders pull up to his ears again, a familiar habit of discomfort, Doyoung has to hold back every fibre of his body from reaching out. Not yet. Maybe, if they manage to resolve this, they could work around it. But, right now, that is not an option.

"I..." Taeyong closes his eyes tightly, his fists balled and Doyoung can see the moment he gives himself a shove and speaks up: "I'm a medium."

At that, Doyoung frowns. A medium? Of course, he had heard of people with a specifically strong connection to the ghost-world. People, who are able to communicate with the dead and see things that aren't supposed to be seen by the human eye. But this seems a little out of the definition that Doyoung knows.

"A medium?"

"Yeah. I mean, not a regular one, it's... it's a little different. I don't even know all about it myself. All I know is that–" he interrupts himself, when in the distance, a loud screetch echoes down to them. Taeyong's eyes widen and his chest begins to move a little more rapid, "We have to go."

"W-what? Go? Where?"

Shaking his head, Taeyong takes a tight hold of Doyoung's wrist, "Doesn't matter. Just far away from here."

Instead of following the other man's pull, Doyoung rips his arm away, rather ungentle, "Can you hold the fuck up? I'm not moving a centimetre, until you explain to me what the hell is going on here, Taeyong."

"There's no time. They're coming." Taeyong insists.

"Who's coming?"

"The monsters. You told me you were wondering why they always seem to gather at Neo-Mall." There is a plea to Taeyong's voice now, getting more and more desperate with every second, Doyoung insists on staying rooted in his spot, "Don't you get it? They're here because of _me._ "

A dark hunch presses against Doyoung's shoulders, as he listens to the other. All those years, the monsters that had roamed Neo-Mall, they were all looking for something. Or rather someone, now that he knows they had been after Taeyong. But, why? What could they possibly want from a random guy?

Except, obviously, Taeyong isn't just a random guy. Doyoung still has to wrap his mind around that, but when the sound of crashing and rattling sounds at the staircase, he knows that will have to wait until later. His eyes find Taeyong's once more and the closer he looks, the more he sees the strangeness in them. How they seem to be too beautiful, to be real. Too beautiful, to me normal. It's something he should have called from the very beginning. As a hunter, the supernatural should be like a warning siren to him, beeping loudly, the very moment he meets a new face. But his love-struck heart had gotten in the way. Had made him make up excuses and explanations, to feign ignorance towards all the things that should have made him hesitate. That should have made him wary.

How Taeyong never said goodbye to him, just before they parted for the evening, because he had to 'rush home'. How vague his tellings of his past were, when Doyoung had asked him about it. How uncomfortable he had seemed, talking about Neo-Mall and the strangeness of it all. Even his stalker was probably a lie.

"You owe me answers." He whispers.

Taeyong nods, his eyes glassy with worry and the pressure of the sounds that keep closing in on them. Doyoung takes his hand then and pulls him towards the staircase. Cautiously, they creep out into the main hall and, just like Doyoung had feared, a party has gathered for them. Ghouls. About seven of them have surrounded the area and Doyoung doesn't even have time to wonder where they could have hidden, for him to miss them on his patrol. The first one is on him, before he even gets the chance to pull out his knife properly, but he manages to bring a foot between them and kick the guy off, before slitting his throat in a practised move.

He is just about to turn around to Taeyong, when a bright light blinds him. It surges through the whole hall, unforgiving and whitehot. Doyoung covers his face with his arms as best as he can, but even through his own flesh and bones, the light preserveres. Then, the light disappears again. It has him disoriented for a moment, but a hand on his back steadies him.

"We have to go to Johnny's office. That's the safest place for now." Taeyong insists.

When Doyoung's eyes open again, the ghouls have disappeared. However, there are seven piles of ash littered around the area, all similar in size. Gulping, Doyoung stares up at Taeyong with wide eyes. The older's lips stretch into a thin line, brows furrowed with tension. However, he doesn't waste any time and pulls Doyoung to his feet, by the fabric of his shirt. Stumbling a little, Doyoung follows Taeyong up another floor and a few seconds later, they slip into Johnny's office. It's dark, but Taeyong only hits the small lamp on Johnny's desk, instead of the large overhead-lights. With a pained sigh, Doyoung falls against the wall and lets his body slide down, until he sits on the ground. Taeyong looks at him with hesitation for a moment, before he moves to settle down beside him.

There is still a respectable distance between them and Doyoung, although he knows it's necessary, hates it. He wants to fall into Taeyong's side and let him run his beautiful hands through his hair, until he wakes up from this strange dream. A dream that isn't a dream, he reminds himself. If there is anything Doyoung can not afford right now, it's naivety.

"I was a wreck." Taeyong begins, his voice small, "When my eighteenth birthday came around, my body suddenly began to change. I could do things, _see_ things that weren't normal. Suddenly, the world was all distorted and strange and I had to discover this whole new part of me. A part of me that could do all sorts of things. Amazing things", Doyoung's heart jumps in his chest, when Taeyong stretches out a hand and all of a sudden, an apple from Johnny's storage begins to shake. It takes off with a little jerk of Taeyong's finger and seconds later, he has his fingers wrapped around it, "and terrible things.", suddenly, the apple's colour changes and small cracks thread through the surface, before opening up wide. It's like watching the fruit rot in a timelapse, except there is just Taeyong's hand around it.

"I had no one to show me what I was supposed to do. My parents were gone, since I was a baby and I grew up in an orphanage. Needless to say, people thought me insane at first." He throws the rotten apple into the trashcan with a sigh, "It was frightening. I had more power than any boy at this age should have and no idea how to control it. In the end, I brought more destruction upon the world than any monster ever could."

Doyoung can't help from pulling his knees up against his chest. What Taeyong is teling him, sounds similar to the things he had already shared with him. Yet, there is a completely new component to it that changes the whole story from start to finish. He tries to imagine a younger version of Taeyong, big eyes filled with fear, because there is something inside of him that he doesn't understand. Something, he has no control over.

"I ran away from the orphanage, once I was an adult they couldn't stop me anyways. And I knew that, if I stayed there, everyone who ever even _resembled_ a family would get killed. Because, you see, I could do a lot of things, but the strangest of them all – the one ability that no one had ever heard about – was what happened when I was asleep." Fiddling with his fingers, Taeyong takes a moment to recollect his thoughts, "When I dream, my spirit breaks out of my body. I can't really explain it, it's like I'm suddenly everywhere at once. And when I choose to, I can cure sickness. I'm not just talking about a cough." He gulps, "I mean terrible sickness – cancer, heart conditions, mental diseases. I only need to touch them in my spiritual form and they... they recover. But, there's always two sides of the medal, I guess. Whenever I turn into that spiritual form, something happens that I don't know about.

"Johnny said that it must have something to do with the nature of my powers. Because, whenever I use my spiritual form I attract monsters. They come and try to kill me. For what, I don't know." Almost absentmindedly, he reaches out a hand and seconds later, a small pillow zooms into his hand that he hugs to his chest, "Maybe, because my abilities are based on light and they feel threatened. All I know is that they'll be on my doorstep in the morning and that's why I can't possibly have anyone near me."

The disbelief must show on Doyoung's face, because Taeyong's shoulders sink in disappointment, "I know, it's quite... fantastic. But, you _have to_ believe me."

"Alright", Doyoung mutters after a few breaths of silence, "Assuming you really can do all these things, why here? What did you do down there, Tae?"

"It was Johnny's idea actually." Taeyong explains, voice muffled against the pillow, "Like killing two birds with one stone, you know? I spend the night wandering the city and healing the sick, meanwhile all the monsters within the city gather here, at Neo-Mall and you can take care of them." A weak smile plays on his lips, "We were an incredible team for quite some time, without you knowing it."

"You think that's funny?" Quickly, Taeyong shakes his head and mutters a small 'no', "You lied to me. Pretended like you had no idea who I was, when we met for the first time. And god... I was so honest with you and yet, all the things you told me about yourself were lies!"

"That's not true." the other insists, "I told you more of the truth than even Johnny. I just... I couldn't tell you _this_. Not when I know how much you hate monsters."

That has Doyoung stop in his motions for a moment. What? This miraculous boy with his big, innocent eyes tells him that the truth had been too frightening for Doyoung. That he had expected hatred and denial, if he were to open up every part of himself. Doyoung doesn't want him to think that way, because that would imply that he is anything less than a person, worthy of taking his breath away. His hand lifts and threads through dishevelled curls, so he can pull Taeyong in an press a comforting kiss to his forehead. At first, the older tenses, as if he is scared of getting hit and just the small reaction scares Doyoung of the things he might have had to go through already. Then, he leans into it. Sniffles ever so softly.

"You are less of a monster than even all the human beings I've ever known, Tae." He pulls away again, "I'm... You should have told me. This is a big thing. And it wouldn't have been a big thing, if you had told me right away."

"Yeah right..." Taeyong mumbles, watching his fingers scratch at each other.

"I'm serious." With a gentle pressure, he seperates Taeyong's hands, before he can hurt himself, "Remember, I'm a hunter. Have been all my life. That means, I've seen some weird-ass shit and, even though this is pretty high on the scale, it's by far not the strangest. Right now though? I don't know what of the things you told me is true and what isn't. I feel like I don't know you at all and that hurts. Hell, the stalker story you gave me when we first met is probably made up, too."

Biting his lip a little abashed, Taeyong shakes his head, "No, the stalker is real, actually, but I'm not scared of him, because I could turn him to ash with a snap of my fingers." He jokes, but when Doyoung doesn't laugh he clears his throat a little awkward, "Uh, no... that night the machine I use to amplify my powers had a malfunction, so I hid away at the cinema, so you could do your job. I just didn't know that was your base, so the whole plan of evading you kind of back-fired."

"Why did you want to evade me?"

"Johnny." Taeyong repeats and the more Doyoung hears that name, the more anger he feels piling up for his best friend, "Said it would endanger our productivity, if we were to get attached to each other. What with always being worried about the other, we'd get distracted." A slight flush deepens on his cheeks, "I think he knew that we'd... well, be attracted to each other, before even we did. That's why he was so angry with me that day we met."

Doyoung hums. That makes at least a little bit of sense. Johnny had always had an eerie amount of understanding for human emotions. Besides, from what Taeyong is telling him, he knows him and Doyoung both pretty well. It must have worried him sick, when he first saw them next to each other, already carrying stars in their eyes. Doyoung remembers how struck he had been by Taeyong that night and there is no doubt it hadn't shown on his face.

"It's funny you know?" Taeyong whispers suddenly. When Doyoung looks up at him, his eyes are glistening in the dim light and a tear droplet slowly rolls down his cheek. He is too stunned to react properly, before the other continues, "When I met you, I thought that I finally found someone who... who just fit. Someone who wouldn't be in danger, because he was strong and brave and ready to face the darkness, as he does every day. I–..." A bitter laugh, "God, I fell so hard for you, the thought of messing up scared me so much, I tried to keep my secret even more. And now, that I understand I shouldn't have kept this from you, it's too late."

For a moment, Doyoung just watches the other in silent wonder. Then, with a sigh, he reaches out and brushes the tears from Taeyong's face, "Hey baby... calm down." Even as he says this, Taeyong still hiccups into his pillow. So, he shuffles to get in front of the older, hands cupping his cute cheeks and catching his eyes with as much weight and warmth, as he possibly can, "Nothing's too late."

"B-But I-"

"I'm angry – sure." Doyoung interrupts him, "but I understand. I know you didn't keep this from me out of disdain or the need to hurt me. You're an incredible person and... and nothing I find out can change that in my eyes. Nothing I find out can change anything about my feelings." With hope shimmering in his eyes, Taeyong discards the pillow and, with a startled sound, Doyoung lets himself be pushed back, until he has a whole man in his lap. Taeyong's breath tickles against his neck and his arms wrap so tight around his shoulders, Doyoung feels his joints pop. With a gentle smile, he lets his hands rub circles into the other's back, "You've been true to me. Your voice, your smile, your thoughts... they were yours. And they were just a few of the things I fell for."

Sniffling into Doyoung's neck again, Taeyong curls against him, "You'l forgive me?"

"If you promise to only tell the truth from now on." Doyoung clarifies. With a small, but steady voice, Taeyong assures him that he will, "Good. Then there is nothing you have to fear now."

Once Taeyong's strength leaves him to give Doyoung the same bone-crushing hug for longer, he leans back a bit. His fingers rest against Doyoung's jaw a little ticklish, but more magical than anything else. He can't help but sigh into the sensation – familiar, warm and something he has craved more than he thought.

Taeyong's eyes flutter shut and Doyoung knows what's coming, before it happens. So, he closes his eyes as well, rests his hands on the dip of Taeyong's waist and reciprocates the needy kiss with everything he has. Even though the whole revelation is still fresh on his mind, Doyoung meant what he said to the other. It's a bit of a rocky patch, along the path of their relationship, but it doesn't mean it has to come to an end yet. No, Doyoung doesn't think this could ever be enough for him to miss out on the light that is Lee Taeyong.

The literal light, as it seems.

As he chuckles into the kiss, Taeyong pulls away with a confused expression. He asks why Doyoung is laughing, but the younger only shakes his head with a grin, before he dives right back in. Maybe, Taeyong doesn't care enough to prod, but maybe the kiss is just enough to take his mind off everything else. Because, that's surely what it does for Doyoung. Although having kissed the man a couple of times already, Doyoung still feels addicted to it. As if he could spend a whole day here, kissing Taeyong, if both of their lives and bodies allowed it. It's like a warm dream – something you don't want to ever end, as it feels too perfect to be true.

Taeyong is too perfect to be true. Now, though Doyoung knows why. He is simply too perfect to be regular. And that's fine as it is. Not just fine, in fact, it's exaclty what Doyoung had looked for.

They pull away panting and with their lips flushed. Doyoung pointedly ignores the slight warmth that has built between both of their legs, because this is neither the place, nor the time to indulge in such things. Especially, when it'd be their first time together. He bites his lip at the thought. Tries not to imagine Taeyong under him, blissed out expression on his face and Doyoung's name on his lips.

He fails, but he doesn't think Taeyong notices.

"What do we do now?" Doyoung finally asks into Taeyong's neck, when they have settled back into a tame hug.

"We'll have to sit out the night in here." The older answers, fingers carding through Doyoung's hair, "The gates aren't open yet and not even I can change that. I mean, I wanted it that way, but in retrospect, maybe that wasn't the best idea."

Doyoung's fingers scratch up and down Taeyong's spine, "Why'd you want that?"

"So none of the bastards can flee." Taeyong sighs, "Well, apart from phoenixes, obviously."

A chuckle rumbles through Doyoung at the memory, "We didn't let that one flee though."

"I had to try so hard, not to blow my cover that day." He admits, "When you found me at the cinema, the first thing I thought was 'holy shit, he's even more handsome up close'. The whole evening I had to pretend I didn't know you and keep my hands all to myself."

"Charming. You definitely fooled me... You wanna know what my first thought was when I saw you?" Taeyong hums, "I thought you were a siren." That startles a laugh out of the other, "You were- you _are_ the most gorgeous man I've ever met after all. I wasn't lying at my apartment, even if the words came out accidentally."

"Bootlicker." Taeyong mutters, but Doyoung can see the deep flush on his cheeks and the abashed smile he wears.

"You-"

A soft thump goes through the ground. Immediately, both of them straighten, their gazes wild and fixating the only door in the room. The lamp on Johnny's desk shakes knowingly, casting shaky shadows against the walls. Doyoung can feel a shiver up his spine.

"What the hell was that?"

Taeyong's hand briefly squeezes Doyoung's shoulder, before he pushes back to his feet, "I don't know. But it's angry."

Following the other man to get up, Doyoung grabs Taeyong's arm gently, "Should we wait it out?"

"If we do, Neo-Mall could be in shambles, by the morning sun." The other says, "There is no doubt that whatever is out there is after me, so I'll go and take care of it."

Doyoung scoffs, "On your own? Like hell."

With his jaw set, Taeyong puts a palm across Doyoung's chest and pushes him flat against the closest wall. He tries not to find it hot, "I can't let you into the danger zone. Especially not now, after I know we still have a future, despite everything." Another thump sounds – dull in its volume, but the room shakes even harder than before, "Stay here."

"No, I will _not_ stay here." Before he can turn away, Doyoung grabs Taeyong by the shirt collar. There is a pleading expression on the other's face, but he isn't going to give into that right now, "You said it yourself: I can take care of myself. I might not be able to move things with my mind, or cure cancer, but I can deal out some punches."

Addmitedly, he never would have thought to be on the other end of the stick, within their dynamic. Right now, Taeyong is this otherworldly being, with magical powers and a badass attitude and Doyoung is just Doyoung. Except that's not quite accurate. Just because Taeyong changed the standards, doesn't mean Doyoung has lessened in any way. He is still a hunter at blood, with a kill count of well over an amount of monsters he could count. Years of fighting and killing and brawling and he is still (mostly) in one piece. This isn't going to be any different.

He just has very overpowered and extremely sexy back-up now.

"Come on, you wanna get this fucker?" He grins, raising a brow.

Taeyong looks at him in disbelief at first. Then, that morphs into an almost sultry stare and Doyoung swallows a little dry, "The things I'd do with you right now, if there wasn't a monster on our doorstep."

Trying to hide his flush, Doyoung reaches for the other and pulls him towards the door, "Come on superman."

As they creep through the door, the first thing Doyoung notices is the silence. Of course, at night, when there isn't a monster in the middle of chasing him between food isles and bookstores, it's usually quiet already. But this type of silence is just off. As if his ears had gotten used to a steady buzzing and someone suddenly decided to switch it off. Even their own steps seem muted against the ground.

Next to him, Taeyong is walking with an alert gaze, eyes hushing around the shadows. Doyoung wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be capable of seeing in the darkness, too. Truth be told, at this point he wouldn't be surprised about anything anymore.

Slowly, Taeyong approaches the railing that looms above the entrance-hall, Doyoung a few hesitant steps behind him. When the other stops at the railing, his shoulders tense, Doyoung knows that something is very bad. He hurries to the other's side and what he finds makes him frown in confusion. In the middle of the hall, kicking dirt around, stands a young, handsome man with his hands buried in his pockets. His honey-coloured hair is swept out of his face, revealing stern brows and a pair of sharp eyes. They stare right up at them, but with no attention for Doyoung at all. Taeyong's jaw twitches, but he withstands the intense attention like a sturdy rock.

"Jaehyun." He mutters.

Doyoung's eyes widen, "The stalker?!"

"Stalker?" The man's voice is pleasant to the ear, a deep baritone, but there is no overlooking the poison lacing it, "Is that all I am to you, nowadays, pretty boy?"

Taeyong ignores him, in order to adress the other man with a scoff in his voice, "I knew there must have been a reason he was acting weird. How long have you been inside of him now?"

Jaehyun's eyes flicker, showing a deep black, before it's gone again, "Longer than you're worth. I've been bored to death with this guy. He is so _stodgy._ Always dreaming about you and your little date at the lake. I mean, really, how desperate can you be? That was three years ago."

"Leave him." Taeyong's voice is darker than Doyoung had ever heard him – threatening, almost like the snarl of a wildcat, "Leave him or I'll exorcise you out of him."

A dirty grin splays on the other's lips, "Because that worked so well last time, right? Poor Jisung... all he had of his little sister to bury was a pile of ashes."

"Shut up!" Even Doyoung flinches slightly with the intensity of Taeyong's voice.

"I see you've already found yourself another plaything to break." For the first time, Jaehyun's eyes flicker at Doyoung. Immediately, he wishes he could have remained in the shadows. How Taeyong manages to stay the focus of Jaehyun's attention for longer than a second, is beyond him, "Handsome, built... a bit of a dunce. And so obviously a fool for you." he laughs to himself, a sinister sound, "You really have a type."

"Whatever it is that you want", Taeyong takes a definite step between Doyoung and the other, "Leave him out of it. There's no need to play dirty."

This time, Jaehyun gives a full on laugh. His head falls back into his neck, chest shaking with the sounds. When his eyes fixate back on Doyoung and Taeyong, they are the same pitch black from before, "I'm a demon, pretty boy. We only play dirty."

The next thing Doyoung hears sends shiver upon shiver down his spine. It's not a foreign sound at all, he knows it well. Well enough to fear it enough for his heart to start racing. A snarl, like the one of a wolf, but deep and distorted and as it sounds, it's hard to tell whether it comes from a mile away or strokes right against Doyoung's ear. His hand dives into his pocket, fishing out his iron knife. It feels too small in his hand, as he knows it's not enough to do actual damage.

"Hell hounds." He notes and Taeyong's brows furrow further.

"We can solve this one-on-one. You don't need your pitbulls, coward."

Jaehyun snickers, rocking back and forth on his feet almost innocently, "If being smart enough to know my chances makes me a coward, I'll take the title gladly. I've heard enough about you, to know a crossroad demon is little of a match for you, Taeyongie."

Straightening, Taeyong flexes his fingers, "Fine, if you want to play like this. I'll send your pups back to hell and then attend to your annoying ass."

"Good luck." Jaehyun smirks.

With a snap of his fingers, the howling begins. It stings in Doyoung's ears; loud and brassy and he fights the urge to put his palms against his head. The scratching and sliding of dog-paws against the marble of Neo-Mall is unmistakable and the only clue the two men have, to know where their oponent has vanished off to. Jaehyun stays in place, calm as the sea and watches, as his bloodhounds take care of the dirty work.

"Your left!" Taeyong yells and Doyoung has only his reflexes to thank, when his knife slices through something invisible, yet sturdy. A startled whimper wavers through the air, but the silence comes back and leaves him clueless.

"Can you see them?" He asks.

If they weren't in life-danger, he might have found the image of Taeyong kicking the air funny, "Sort of. There's a silhouette. Do you have salt?"

"Used it up for the ghosts already." Doyoung groans, dodging the snap of a hellhound, only as he feels the slight wind of its movement, "What's the plan?"

Taeyong sends him a dumb grin, "Thought you were the hunter?"

"Shut it." Despite himself, Doyoung finds a chuckle bubble in his chest, before he wildly kicks around and accidentally connects with something, "We have to take care of your stalker. If we get the owner out of the way, the dogs will follow."

"Think you can take him?" Taeyong asks, lifting a hand towards the empty air.

"You bet."

"Alright, I'll take care of the pets." For a short breath, Doyoung feels Taeyong's hand squeeze his shoulder, "Take care."

Doyoung nods, even though he can't say for sure Taeyong will see it. He waits for an opportunity and when Taeyong's palm flares in a bright light and the air fills with a lamentation of the whole pack, Doyoung swings himself over the railing. The jumps is insane, a good five metres at least, but he gets a hold of one of the decorative plants that hang, strung around the structure. It rips a little under his weight, but at least his fall gets deadened enough for his bones to stay in one piece. He doesn't even take a breath, before he pushes back to his feet, muscles screaming. Above him, he still hears the hellhounds bark and growl, as Taeyong hands out punches.

He is tempted to look back – check if the other is okay – but he has to trust Taeyong to take care of himself. In this moment, his whole focus is on the man at the centre of the hall. Jaehyun looks annoyed, a slight curl of distaste to his lips and as Doyoung storms towards him, it's the first time he pulls his hands out of his pockets. One of them comes away with a glint and Doyoung has just enough time to pull back, before a wickedly looking knife slices his way. He hisses in pain, when it leaves a tear in his shirt and something wet begins trickling down the skin of his shoulder. Stumbling back, he steadies himself and points his own knife at the demon.

"What will you do, hm?" Jaehyun asks, obviously free of any fear, as he walks towards Doyoung, "Gonna stab me with that toothpick? Jaehyun's body isn't going to like that very much."

Shit. Of course, Doyoung hadn't even thought of that: It's not the actual Jaehyun he is fighting here, but rather a virus, taking over his body. If he were to hurt the shell, Jaehyun might die, even though the demon stays unharmed. Clenching his jaw, Doyoung rummages in his pocket. He would be a crappy hunter – and probably also dead by now – if he wasn't able to come up with a solution in any kind of situation.

His gun feels assuring in his hand, even though it is anything but the final solution. The solution, in fact, is locked in a inconscpicious public locker, which had been reserved just for him. So, he casts a last glance at Taeyong, up on the second floor, before he takes off running. Behind him, Jaehyun is laughing menacingly and all Doyoung can do is hold his knife tightly, as a last plan B.

"You wanna play chase now?!" The demon yells, "Think you're interesting enough to draw me away from your boyfriend? Well, my lovelies have him surrounded at the moment, so I might as well entertain myself with you, little mouse."

With his breath burning in his lungs, Doyoung puts everything he has into his tired legs. There is no doubt he'll call in sick for a few days, after this is over. That'd be the first time in almost two years.

The mall echoes with his hurried steps and he passes by stands and stores, as if in a blur. None of his surroundings look as familiar and comforting as usual, because they only show him how far he still has to run. There are several lockers in the mall, where he had stored equipment, but only one of them holds the very thing he is looking for. Because, how often does one encounter an actual demon? In all his time at Neo-Mall he had maybe stumbled upon two others and neither of them had been even half as threatening as Jaehyun. Taeyong really must be a big deal and Doyoung doesn't know whether to feel proud or exasperated at that.

Finally, after the stinging in his side has turned into a dull ache and the spit in his mouth has assumed a sour taste, he turns into a side isle and finds the row of lockers he had been looking for. His fingers shake, almost too much to turn in the combination of the lock, but he manages and lets it drop to the floor with a clang. He has just pulled the small bag free that he came for, when steps sound to his left.

Jaehyun looks even more pissed, if that's in any way possible, "You mortals. Never accepting defeat, even when you know you should. You just give us more work than necessary. A disgrace, created by an even _bigger_ disgrace."

This time, Doyoung's fingers don't falter, as he opens the bag and pulls out the bullets. There are only four of them, since they are incredibly hard to come by. He barely has time to shove a single one into his gun, before Jaehyun is already charging at him. Almost blind in his panic, Doyoung lifts the weapon at the other and aims at his leg. The bang sounds, but the impact of Jaehyun's hit never comes.

With a frustrated groan, the demon stays rooted in place, right where he had been shot. A stream of blood is dripping from his thigh, but why should he care about anything his shell feels? Doyoung hurries to step back further.

"Devil's trap bullet." Doyoung smirks, "That should keep you still for a moment."

Jaehyun's lips curl and he releases a sound, achingly similar to the growling of his hellhounds, "Why you little-"

He gets interrupted by his own shout of agony, when Doyoung begins to speak: "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas".

"NO!" Jaehyun screams, clawing at the bullet-wound in his leg, "Stop!!"

"omnis incursio! infernalis adversarii", Doyoung's heart begins to hammer, when the first smoulder of black breaks from Jaehyun's mouth. Behind the demon, Doyoung can see a figure appear at the end of the hallway. Taeyong's eyes are wide and is mouth agape in surprise, as he watches the scene, unfolding in front of him.

"omnis legio omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."

A scream sounds, but Doyoung realizes it wasn't his own. Only half-aware, does he realize it was Taeyong's. Jaehyun's body has crumbled to the ground, the demon gone and the man panting and clutching at his leg in a sign of agony. Doyoung's sight is blurry and a strange feeling of his bones turning to jelly, suddenly washes through him. He can't really explain it, but all his senses seem to have dulled down. The words Taeyong yells, as he runs towards him sound like they come from a kilometre away, his fingers feel numb – too numb to keep holding on to his weapon, so he might as well drop it. Even his eyes don't seem to be able to capture Taeyong's beautiful face as well as they usually do, everything growing fuzzy around the edges. And why does Taeyong look so concerned?

Frowning, Doyoung finds that his knees are about to give in, but Taeyong arrives just in time, so he doesn't fall on his face. Only then, does he see it: Jaehyun's enormous knife. At least, the hilt of it, sticking out of his own chest. Realizing this, he tries to say something, maybe even scream in fear, but all that comes out is a muted gurgle. There is liquid in the back of his throat that he can't quite seem to get rid of. His limbs are starting to get really cold, but he can't even ask Taeyong to take his hands into his own. Taeyong always has warm hands. He is always warm everywhere. Just his eyes on him are enough to have Doyoung feel all warm and comfortable.

Why won't they work now?

"Doyoung? Doyoung concentrate on my voice." Taeyong pleads, desperate face looking down at him from above. He wants nothing more than to tell Taeyong that he shouldn't look so sad. There is nothing in the world precious enough for Taeyong's tears. "Stay awake, baby. Stay awake. Doyou...ng..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) | [Ig](https://https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato_xo) | [Tumblr](https://midnight-writ3r.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, we'll continue?" Taeyong tries to hide it, but there is no missing the excitement in his voice.
> 
> Laughing gently, Doyoung closes his eyes, "We sure will."

The next time Doyoung opens his eyes, he feels like closing them again immediately. The light that shines into his face is entirely too bright and he can't stand it. Wherever he is, he is warm and comfortable, so why the hell should anything about that change. Especially, when he feels like he had been squeezed through a waste press. Grumbling to himself, he tries to turn away from the light, but finds that a warm body is already taking the space behind him.

Now, that he becomes more aware of everything, Doyoung feels the arm around his waist and the small puffs of even breath that hit his jaw. He turns as much as possible, to find the most astonishing sight he will probably see in his life; Taeyong's face is a little flushed from sleep and his features appear more puffy, as the side of his face is squished into the mattress of the bed they appear to lie in – Doyoung's bed, he realizes, as he takes in the rest of the room, surrounding them. Taeyong releases a soft sound in his sleep, smacking his lips a couple of times, before nudging his face back against Doyoung's neck. He almost dies right there, of how cute he finds it.

_Dies_... His eyes widen. He... he died, didn't he? But no, that's not possible. Does that mean he is in heaven right now? It would make sense, to wake up with Taeyong next to him and find, this is just the most serene place he can imagine.

Next to him, Taeyong huffs again, but then there is a curious pair of eyes in Doyoung's face, "Oh my god. You're awake." The boy straightens at a lightning-speed that is entirely too fast for having just woken up, "How are you feeling?"

"Knocked out." Doyoung admits, "Is this real?"

Taeyong tilts his head, fluffy hair bouncing across his forehead, "Real?"

"Like, am I dead and this is a dream?"

For a moment, the question seems to take Taeyong aback. Then, he begins to snicker, a little startled and his cheeks colour in a marvelous pink, "No baby, this is not a dream. You just..." he swallows, a tinge of sadness returning to his eyes, "I guess you were dead? For like a minute... or at least, almost."

"I..." Doyoung furrows his brows, trying hard to recall all the smudged memories his mind produces, "Jaehyun. He- I had – my god – I had a whole knife in my chest. How did you fix me?!"

With an abashed expression, Taeyong scratches at the back of his neck, "Well, uh... Johnny came, just a few minutes after you lost consciousness and uh..." he snickers, obviously embarrassed, "He knocked me out, so I could heal you with my powers."

Doyoung's eyes widen, "He did what?!"

"It was the only way to get me into my spiritual form", the other shrugs, "Don't worry, it was my idea. He's not an asshole like that."

"But that worked?"

"I know it sounds silly", Taeyong says, "But it did the trick. I managed to heal all of you and took you back here to rest. That was like... three days ago."

Doyoung darts upright so fast, he feels a little dizzy, " _Three days?_ "

"Relax, since I wasn't there either, Neo-Mall is as safe as it can be." A hand on his chest presses Doyoung back into the bed, "Your body was recovered, but your mind had to recover too. We do that best when we sleep, so I thought I'd just let you stay out of it for as long as you needed. It's not everyday that someone survives a knife to the chest, after all."

Shaking his head, Doyoung tries his best to wrap his mind around the given information, "So, Johnny was there?"

"He came around, yeah." Taeyong nods, "Guess we got so caught up in brawls, we forgot about the time."

That elicits a snort from Doyoung, "And he was cool with it? Like, me finding out about everything?"

"Erm... we didn't really get that far." The older admits, pursing his lips, "But I guess, he either makes peace with it, or I resign."

Grinning gently, Doyoung reaches up to run his fingertips along Taeyong's cheek, "You're okay though? Those hellhounds gave you a hard time."

"One of them got my ankle." Taeyong admits. He pulls his leg from under the blanket and showcases a bunch of bandages wrapped around the thin limb. There are all sorts of runes and symbols embroided into the fabric, "Your friend Jungwoo made this for me. Said it'll clear out the last traces of dark magic those creatures left behind."

"I'm sorry." Doyoung sighs, "I should have protected you."

Rolling his eyes, Taeyong pockes him in the side, "Don't start this now. It was my idea to split up and I think, compared to you, I got the longer end of the stick."

"But still, I-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, a pair of full lips pressing against his. The hum of appreciation that bubbles in his chest earns him a laugh from Taeyong's flushed mouth. There are fingers in his hair, threading through the strands and Doyoung feels so grateful. No other place, no other feeling in the world could compare to this. When Taeyong pulls away, the only thing Doyoung can cure his sadness with, is the promise of more, if he needs it. He settles with intertwining their fingers for now, since there is obviously something else Taeyong wants to share with him.

"I'm sorry." He starts and doesn't let Doyoung interrupt him, as he would have liked, "I got you in the dangerzone, because I lied. Had I told you the truth, you would have been prepared. It's bad enough to hurt your feelings, but I actually brought you real pain and that's something I never ever wanted." Taeyong's eyes settle on him, apologetic and vulnerable in such a raw form, Doyoung can barely take it, "I promise you that there will never be another secret between us. No matter what it is. I should have trusted you not to judge me, based on who I am or what I've done. To think you'd do so wasn't fair of me."

Doyoung smiles gently, "When will you stop apologizing for being human?" Taeyong's eyes widen a little surprised and his grip on Doyoung's fingers tighten, "You did what you thought was best. Sometimes those things turn out to be wrong, but you never had an ill intent. I forgave you two seconds after you explained everything to me."

"Are you sure...?"

"Sure as can be." He nods, "You make me feel more at home than anyone has ever done, Tae. It'll take a little more than the sudden revelation of super powers, to make me want to leave."

Laughing, Taeyong lets his face fall into Doyoung's chest. He makes a few happy, muffled noises, before turning to look up at Doyoung's face, "Thank you, Do."

"Nothing to thank me for." stroking his fingers through Taeyong's hair, he jokes: "At least I don't have to worry about a stalker anymore."

Taeyong giggles, shoulders shaking, "No... we definitely got rid of that one. I knew Jaehyun was acting super strange..."

"Speaking of Jaehyun..." Doyoung starts.

"Ah yeah", A little exasperated, Taeyong rolls over, so he can face the ceiling, "He's... a little traumatized, I guess. But, he's getting help at a hospital at the moment and Johnny is checking up on him pretty regularly. It'll probably take a while to get him back on track. The feeling of being possessed... that's not even something I can help with and I thought my powers were endless, as narcissistic as it sounds." He chimes in, when Doyoung laughs at him, "He'll be fine though. And Neo-Mall will be, too."

A few beats of silence pass between them, before Doyoung dares to speak up again: "Do you really wanna continue?" Taeyong shuffles, to give him a confused frown, "This whole thing. Our jobs. Do you wanna continue putting your life on the line? It's never gonna get easier and there will always be another monster coming after you." He sighs, "It's just... we're not indebted to do this job. Like you said, we only do it, because no one else does it."

Taeyong gives that a few seconds of deep thought. Doyoung doesn't lose his patience, he is too entertained with watching that cute little frown between his brows, "I think that... that what we do is very important." he finally says, "You're right – we are in no way bound to this whole thing – but we're changing something. For the better. You just have to think about the feeling: Saving lives, families, loved ones." A gentle smile tugs at the man's lips that makes him look even more beautiful in Doyoung's eyes than anything else, "If I imagine our roles were reversed – that someone else was in our places – and it was you, whose life was on the line, only at the mercy of those two people's bravery, I'd beg them to continue. I'd beg them to not give up, because they're saving the very thing that gives my life any meaning."

The weight of the silence that follows has Doyoung feel like he might sink and disappear into the mattress. He can't seem to stop looking at Taeyong, watching the soft flutter of his lashes and the way his own eyes hush across Doyoung's face. Of course, the other is right. Doyoung hadn't doubted that, from the first word he spoke, until the last. If no one else would take their duty upon their shoulders, many things would be lost and while Doyoung and Taeyong would have to risk a lot in the future, the outcome of it would pay back tenfold. Doyoung had always hated his job. But maybe, if he knows Taeyong is out there saving lives, he will be able to like it a little more.

His hand comes up to tug Taeyong down into a kiss again. With a grin, the older gives in, indulging him in a sweet exchange of pecks. They stay tame for now, still too slow from sleep to engage in anything more, until their breath runs out and Taeyong settles against Doyoung's shoulder again. A blanket flops down on top of them and Doyoung already feels himself grow drowsy again.

"As long as I get to spend my time with you", He whispers, concentrating on the circles Taeyong rubs into his stomach, "I'd give just about anything."

"So, we'll continue?" Taeyong tries to hide it, but there is no missing the excitement in his voice.

Laughing gently, Doyoung closes his eyes, "We sure will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) | [Ig](https://https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato_xo) | [Tumblr](https://midnight-writ3r.tumblr.com/)
> 
> It´s??? Over? :(((( Omggg Mandatory Monster Measures is complete!! That lowers the ongoing series count from 3 to 2! Now only Pink Sweater and Philocalist are left (there´s more coming your way, no worries :'D) 
> 
> So Dotae are still going strong against the monsters and darkness of the city! How did you like the story my lovelies? I had so much fun writing it and aaah Dotae just make me happy :') I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing! 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, I love reading them and they encourage me to work harder! <3
> 
> Until the next time sweethearts, I´m sending a lot of love, take care!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) | [Ig](https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato) | [Tumblr](https://midnight-writ3r.tumblr.com/) – text me for a chat! 
> 
> Don´t you just love it when you´re on the job and the most beautiful man in existence hides behind your popcorn counter? I sure do XD 
> 
> How have you guys been?? Is everything good, even with the pandemic? I´ve been so busy with University, I was surprised I even finished this story in time for Halloween :'D I also realize it´s not _massively_ spooky, but there´s monsters? XD Bear with me please <3 
> 
> **Philocalist** has hit 70k words by now and shit has gone down FOR REAL!! Like- Idek sometimes I´m scared I can not get them out of this mess again, in a believable way :'D 
> 
> **Pink Sweater´s** next chapter will probably be released in three days <3 
> 
> Also, if you feel like reading more, do check out my profile for 'Reminiscence of an undead', because that´s part two of the surprise! And if that´s still not enough, I recently started writing on my Tumblr again (link above), so yeah, enjoy that too! :'D <3
> 
> Until next time you wonderful beings!


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